What if
by Megs-3
Summary: A series of random Jate situations...what if Jack and Kate had become aroused when caught in the net, what if Jack had made a move on Kate after seeing her in the shower, etc. Lots and lots of Jate sex in a variety of scenarios!
1. Caught in a Net

**Author's Note: Okay, the idea for this came from the great reviews I got for my one-shot _That Night_, which was my take on what would have happened between Jack and Kate the night that they were in the jungle together had stupid Michael not interrupted things. Since y'all seemed to enjoy the "what if?" scenario so much, I thought it would be fun to write a series of them – my personal takes on several Jate scenes and how they played out in my warped little mind. **

**I've decided to put them all into one fanfic, much in the same fashion as _Random_ by Stun04, which is one of my very favorite Lost fanfics (and which I totally recommended to anyone who hasn't read it – absolutely the best Jate Jex on this site – much better than mine!). The different chapters are totally unrelated – I'm just planning on putting them all together so they will be easily accessible and all in one place (oh, and I will probably re-post _That Night_ as a chapter in here, just because it is part of my series and goes well with some of the other stories I have planned). **

**I am totally open to suggestions and requests, so please let me know if you have a particular scene in mind that you'd like me to write. As of now, most of what I have in mind are, again, rewrites of several Jate scenes from the show, although I do have some AU "what-if?" scenarios planned for later.**

**I'm rating this M because most of my rewrites will inevitably involve Jack and Kate getting it on. And, unfortunately, I own nothing except my own words – which, unfortunately, aren't worth all that much.**

**On with the show….**

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**CAUGHT IN A NET**

**What if…Jack and Kate's time in one of Rousseau's nets led to...uh…something more?**

The jungle heat was stifling. Kate paused to take a sip out of her water bottle, annoyed that Jack, despite having asked her to come along as he went off in search of Michael, was still giving her the silent treatment.

"I'm flattered," Kate said to Jack's back as she replaced the bottle in her pack.

Jack finally stopped and turned to look at her. "Yeah, why is that?" he asked, taking a swig of his own water.

"Because you chose me to go with you instead of Sawyer," Kate replied, relieved that he was talking to her again.

Jack chuckled as he took another drink. "Well, I asked Sayid first but he turned me down. And I only asked you because they don't want you. They grabbed you - had you at gunpoint. They could have kept you, but they didn't." He paused, shrugged his shoulders. "Then again, they didn't really want me, either."

Kate laughed along with him, finally able to see the humor in the situation. "Damaged goods, both of us," she agreed as they hoisted their packs on their shoulders once again and set off at a brisk pace.

They hadn't walked far when Kate noticed something light-colored amid the browns and greens of the jungle floor.

"What's that?" she wondered out loud as she moved toward the object lying on the ground a few feet away.

Several yards ahead, Jack had stopped walking. He turned to see Kate bending over, reaching for something on the ground. "Kate?" he asked, moving towards her.

Kate looked up at Jack. "It's a doll," she said, reaching for it. Jack began to run.

"Wait, wait, no. No, don't!" he yelled forcefully, but it was too late. He reached her just as the trap sprung, hoisting them up into the air in a large net.

Jack and Kate were silent for several moments, struggling to catch the breaths that had been taken at the suddenness of being strung up in the air. Finally, Jack, his breathing under control again, broke the silence.

"You okay?" he asked Kate.

"Yeah," she replied, taking a deep breath and attempting to reposition her body, which was pressed tight against Jack's.

"Oh good, so you can hear me?" Jack said sarcastically, giving Kate one of his obnoxious "told-you-so" smirks.

"Oh, shut up," Kate said with no real venom in her voice. She began to giggle at their current situation.

"Well, I'm glad you find this funny," Jack snapped.

"No, it's just…" Kate's giggling was uncontrollable now. Finally, Jack gave in and smiled at her helpless laughter.

"Will you ever just listen to me?" he asked, shifting his body so he wasn't pressing so much weight against Kate.

"Probably not," Kate replied, attempting to stifle her giggles.

Jack rolled his eyes at her stubbornness. He knew she'd never admit that this was her fault. "This looks like one of Rousseau's traps," he said, changing the subject and examining their surroundings. "She might be nearby. Then again, she could be all the way across the island. We need to try and get out of here on our own." He began wiggling around, trying to maneuver his right arm behind him.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked him, grunting as his efforts caused him to sink an elbow into her chest.

"Sorry," Jack said, still trying to get his arm around. "I'm trying to get the gun. It's in my back waistband and I can't get my arm around far enough."

"Here, let me," Kate said, wiggling closer to him in an attempt to get her arm around him.

Jack closed his eyes and tilted his chin upward. Oh, god. Here was Kate, the woman who haunted his dreams, the woman he had mentally undressed hundreds of times, the woman he was desperately in love with, rubbing her hot, tight body against him. _Think of something else, anything else,_ he ordered himself. _Baseball, baseball, baseball...Kate playing baseball in tight little pants, bending over to scoop up a grounder…oh shit. _Barely suppressing a groan as Kate's arm shifted across his crotch, Jack was shocked and embarrassed to feel himself growing hard as her body continued to rub against his as she struggled for the gun.

_Maybe she won't notice,_ Jack thought as he struggled to suppress the sensations that were growing steadily stronger in his nether regions.

Suddenly, Kate stopped moving. She looked up at Jack, whose face had gone bright red with embarrassment.

Kate smiled up at him, then shifted her body closer to his. "Sorry, Jack, but this particular situation just demands that I use this line. Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?" Her eyes twinkled.

Jack rolled his eyes, attempting to regain some shred of dignity. "Okay, Kate, what the fuck do you want me to say? I'm sorry if you think I'm horrible or disgusting or whatever. I'm sorry I can't control myself better when a beautiful woman rubs her gorgeous body up against me…" Kate stopped him by placing two fingers over his lips.

"You think I'm beautiful?" she whispered.

Jack looked at her in amazement. Then he smiled. "Uh, I think the evidence would suggest that I find you mildly attractive," he admitted, some of his embarrassment fading. He slid his arms around he back, entangling his fingers in her brown curls. "Kate, I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he said, staring deep into her green eyes. As he bent his head towards hers, his lips moist and slightly parted, they were suddenly taken by a falling sensation that lasted only a few seconds before they landed on the ground with a thump.

From their sprawled positions on the jungle floor, Jack and Kate looked up to see Rousseau standing above them, the knife she'd used to cut the rope holding the net clenched firmly in her hand.

After an embarrassed silence, Rousseau's face broke into a seldom-seen smile. "Don't let me interrupt anything," she said slyly before disappearing back into the jungle.

Jack and Kate watched her go, stunned expressions on their faces.

"Did she just smile?" Kate asked, mystified.

"I think she did," Jack replied, unable to contain his laughter. Kate joined in.

"So," she said once they had calmed down a bit. "Weren't we in the middle of something?"

"Uh, yeah, I think we were," Jack said, placing his arm around Kate's back and lowering her to a horizontal position on the jungle floor. He stared down at her, one hand brushing her curls off her face in a tender motion. "I think I was telling you how beautiful you are and how much I want to…"

Kate cut him off by placing her hands on his face and bringing his mouth towards hers. "I think you talk too much," she murmured teasingly against his mouth before crushing her lips against his in a kiss that expressed weeks and weeks of pent-up desire and attraction.

Jack responded immediately. He knew he'd never forget the softness of her lips, the feel of her tongue as she ran it lightly across his lips, lightly nipping at his bottom one with her teeth. He opened his mouth into hers and used his own tongue to taste her in the way that he'd only imagined in his dreams.

Their tongues dueled against one another as the kiss deepened, pausing every few minutes to breathe before delving into one another once again. Momentarily sated by the taste and feel of Kate's lips against his, Jack began to use his hands to explore her body.

Kate shivered as she felt Jack's warm, calloused hands caressing her waist. Then they began to inch upward, sliding her tank top with them. He lifted her slightly to tug the garment over her shoulders and head, then paused to take in the sight of her taut breasts straining against the skimpy black lace of her bra.

"See something you like?" Kate teased softly, running her hand across Jack's chest.

"Kate, you're perfect," he breathed, lowering his lips to the skin that spilled over the tops of her bra cups. "You have the most perfect breasts I've ever seen…." Kate groaned and closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation of his hot mouth against her skin. He fumbled with the clasp that held the bra together for several moments before finally snapping it open. He lifted her breasts from the cups, kissing each one reverently before using his lips, teeth, and tongue to stimulate her already-hard nipples.

Kate's moans grew louder as Jack continued to suck and nibble at her breasts. She ran her hands up and down Jack's sculpted back, pulling him closer to her. Finally moving his lips away from her breasts, he lifted himself off of her and rolled to the side. Kate opened her eyes, her disappointment evident.

Jack caught the look. "Just a pause, baby," he said, leaning down to kiss her as he pulled his shirt over his head. "I just wanted to be able to feel you against me." Kate smiled up at him, then reached down to unbutton her jeans. Wiggling them off of her hips and down her legs, she motioned for him to do the same.

Jack gently pushed Kate back to the ground. Reaching down, he ran his hand up her smooth thigh, feeling the heat radiating from her center. He bent to kiss her again as his fingers began to explore the wetness pooled between her legs.

Kate groaned and opened herself wider to his explorations. He latched onto her neck with his lips as he shoved one, then two, fingers inside of her in a fluid motion. Satisfied that she was ready for him, he removed his fingers and positioned his cock, now hard to the point of aching, over her.

"Is this what you want, Kate?" he asked, his breath hot on her neck. "Tell me what you want."

"Oh, god, yes, Jack," Kate cried out, lifting her hips towards him, desperate to have him fill her. "I want you inside of me, I want you….I want you to make love to me, Jack."

Jack pushed himself inside of her slowly, wanting to savor and remember every second of it. "Oh, Christ, Kate, you feel so good, so right….this feels so right," he moaned as he pushed harder, filling her completely.

They lay still for a moment, simply enjoying the feel of completion. Jack lowered his lips to Kate's in a kiss more tender and pure than any he'd ever experienced. Overcome with emotion, he slowly began to move his hips against hers, wanting to feel every inch of her.

Kate's body responded enthusiastically. She wrapped her arms around him, using her hands on his firm buttocks to pull him deeper inside of her.

"Faster, harder, Jack, please," she breathed, lifting her hips to him. The fire had begun in the lower part of her belly and she knew that she was close to the edge. She groaned as she felt him pound deeper and harder. "Yes, like that, Jack, yes, please, more!" she screamed as he grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to him.

Within minutes Kate felt her body explode into a powerfully intense orgasm that she felt from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Jack groaned as her inner muscles clenched around him, mentally willing himself not to come, to let her enjoy the moment alone. This orgasm was his gift to her; the next they would share between them.

Kate finally came down from her high and opened her eyes to find Jack's deep brown ones staring back at her. "Wow," she said softly, smiling at how silly that must have sounded.

Jack chuckled and pulled her close to him. He kissed her passionately as he began to move inside of her once again in a slow and steady rhythm. Kate, still excruciatingly sensitive from her previous orgasm, responded immediately, wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him deeper into the hot, wet center of her.

After what seemed like hours of the slow, calculated thrusts that were driving Kate simply insane by continuously taking her to the edge and then pulling her back again, Jack began to quicken his pace. He pulled her left leg from around his waist and shoved it straight up into the air, attempting to enter her even more fully.

Jack's movements gained speed and strength as he felt himself approaching the brink of orgasm. "Kate, I can't hold on much longer," he gasped, his hips pumping at a rapid pace. "Please, please come with me, Kate. I need it, need to feel you coming, need to know that you're coming for me…." His breath was coming in short spurts now as he sped along the edge of the abyss.

His intensity aroused Kate. She closed her eyes and let the sensations take over her body once again. She closed tightly around Jack's cock, sheathed firmly inside of her, and felt him shudder as her hot juices flowed over and around him. He came with a shout, filling her with his own hot release. He collapsed on top of her, his breath sobbing, his body covered in a thin coat of sweat. Kate hugged him close to her, unwilling to let him break the fragile connection that still held them together. Jack was fine with that; he felt as though he could stay buried inside of her forever.

Fifteen minutes passed, then twenty, then thirty. Jack finally had to pull out of her, groaning as he maneuvered himself out of the warm wetness between her legs. He flopped down on his back and pulled Kate to him, wrapping his arms around her to shield her from the breeze that had come from the depths of the jungle.

"I've wanted this for a long time now, Kate," Jack said as her toyed idly with a strand of her hair. "There've been so many times…" he trailed off as she turned to face him.

"Well, you have it now," she told him, kissing him lightly on the lips. "You have me. I want to be yours, Jack. I want us to be together. I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but things always just…seem to get in the way. I…I love you, Jack. I've loved you since the first moment I saw you."

Jack's breath quickened at hearing the words for which he had waited so long. "I love you, too, Kate," he said, caressing her cheek with his fingers. "I've loved you for so long I can't remember what it feels like not to love you. I know I've been a complete jerk at times…but it's been so hard to be with you and not be able to tell you how I feel about you."

Kate smiled at his assessment of his behavior. "I've been a jerk, too, Jack. I'm sure I will be again. I'm sure we'll fight and scream and probably throw things as well. I'm sure I'll call you all kinds of names and tell you I hate you…so I'll just go ahead and tell you now that I promise I'll never really mean it when I say things like that. I could never hate you. I've tried, thinking it would be easier than loving you, but it was impossible."

Jack laughed at her. "Oh, Kate, I think we're in for some rough times. Being in love with you is never going to be boring, I can already tell that!" He kissed her again, pulling her on top of him. Kate let out a small squeal as she felt his hardness probing at her. She shifted, taking him into her in one sudden movement, then sighed as she felt the familiar tingle in all her secret places.

"My, Dr. Shephard, you certainly have some stamina," she giggled, moving up and down on top of him.

"When it comes to you, I guess I do," he replied lazily, pulling her mouth down towards his, making further conversation impossible.

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Jack and Kate made love several more times that afternoon and into the night. They were pleasantly exhausted the next morning as they pulled their packs onto their backs for the trip back to their camp, Michael and the Others temporarily forgotten in the afterglow of the night they'd spent together. Just as they were about to leave the clearing, Jack saw Kate looking up at Rousseau's net.

"Whatcha thinking about?" he asked, moving up behind her and sliding his arms around her small waist.

Kate turned her neck to look up and him and smiled slyly. "Since there's obviously no sex-toy store on this island and we can't exactly order off the internet…I was just wondering…how do you think this net would look strung from the roof of your cave?"

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**Review, review, review and let me know what "what-if?" scenario you'd like next!**


	2. That Night

**I published this a few weeks ago as a one-shot, but the reviews were really positive and led me to the idea of writing a series of "what-ifs?" involving various Jack and Kate scenarios. I decided to re-post this since it fit so well with the rest of the chapters.**

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**THAT NIGHT**

**What if...Michael had never burst into the clearing just as Jack and Kate were starting to discuss their kiss?**

(Written in first-person, with Kate as the narrator)

Darkness had fallen over this island. Although I would never admit it aloud, my legs were tired and I was grateful when Jack stopped shouting into the emptiness of the jungle surrounding us and suggested that we start a fire and rest for a little while.

Jack didn't say much as we gathered firewood and spread a blanket out over the damp ground. I knew his throat had to be killing him from all the screaming, but I also knew that he was glad to have that as an excuse not to talk to me. He'd been making those kinds of excuses ever since that night with the Others – ever since the day I kissed him, actually.

Jack finished laying kindling and started a blaze with a box of Dharma matches he carried in his pack. Satisfied, he leaned back against a fallen log and stared into the flames. Still frustrated by the silence, I sat next to him, careful not to let my body touch his in any way.

Finally, the silence became overwhelming. I _had_ to say something, _had _to break the silence.

"Jack?" I asked, still stalling, still wondering what I could possibly say.

"Hmmm?" he answered absently, still staring into the orange flames.

"I'm sorry I kissed you," I said. _Oh, fuck! That was not what I meant to say! Why, why, why did I have to bring that up? Anything would have been better!_

Jack was silent for several moments. I began to wonder if he'd even heard me.

Finally he cleared his throat and spoke. "I'm not."

I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. That was not the answer I'd expected when I'd first uttered those insane words. I thought I'd get a shrug or a wave of the hand or maybe, if I was lucky, an "it doesn't matter." But this!

"I'm sorry, what?" I managed.

"I said, I'm not," Jack repeated, turning his head to look at me for the first time in hours.

I just stared back, mystified. I couldn't think, couldn't speak. I turned away from Jack's gaze and looked out into the jungle night.

"Kate?" I heard him say. "Kate, look at me." His hand was on my arm.

I forced myself to turn back towards him. I could see the reflections of the fire dancing in his chocolate-brown eyes.

"Kate, I'm not sorry that you kissed me," he said again, not letting go of my arm. "I'm not sorry because it was something I had wanted to happen for a long time now," he continued. He paused, cleared his throat. "I _am_ sorry that you felt that you had to run afterwards."

How could I explain it to him? How could I find the right words to tell him that I hadn't _wanted_ to run, but that I felt that I _had _to in case he rejected me once the initial shock had worn off?

_Courage, Kate_, I thought to myself as I took a deep breath. "Jack, I kissed you because I was sad and confused. You're always….you have always been such a comfort to me that I knew that kissing you would make it all go away. And it did. It was perfect, Jack," I continued, rushing now to get the words out. "It was everything I'd ever hoped it would be. Everything I'd been dreaming about…" Another deep breath. "I ran because that's what I do, Jack. I run when I'm trapped and I felt trapped by what I'd done. I run when I don't know what's going to happen next and I don't feel like I can risk waiting around to find out. I didn't know how you'd react or what you'd say or do and I couldn't risk waiting around to see if your reaction was going to be rejection." There. I'd said it.

Jack shook his head as if to clear it. "Kate, after everything we've been though, after all those times…you actually thought I might reject you?" He laughed hollowly. "You think that after all those mornings of waking up sweating after dreaming about you all night that I was actually going to turn down the chance to experience it in reality? You actually thought…oh, fuck it," he managed, before pulling me towards him and crushing his lips against mine in a kiss so intense that I felt it in my toes.

Jack eased off as I brought my arms up to encircle his neck and shoulders. He kept his lips connected to mine, but his kiss went from intense to soft and sweet within seconds. I felt his tongue probing at my lips and I opened my mouth slightly to accommodate him. His tongue caressed my lips before entangling itself with my own in a playfully sensuous manner.

I don't know how long the kiss lasted, but finally I had to pull away. My heart was beating so fast that I felt it might explode. I was cradled in Jack's strong arms as he lay me back against the blanket. He leaned over me, one arm still around my back, the other draped across my stomach, and smiled down at me.

"So do you want to run again?" he asked softly, seriously. "This is your last chance."

I shook my head. "No, Jack. I won't run from you again."

Jack brought his lips back down to mine. This time I parted my lips without his probing, taking his tongue into my mouth in a move that, judging by his movements, shocked and pleased him. The hand that was behind my back tangled in my hair, while his other one caressed my stomach and slowly inched up towards my breasts.

Jack moved his lips away from mine and because to place a series of kisses along my jawline. He reached my neck at the same time his hand reached my breasts. I closed my eyes and sighed as his used his hand to stimulate my nipples even as his lips and tongue were ravishing my neck. I moaned loudly as he reached the dip in my collarbone and began to nibble along the ridge. His fingers were pinching my nipples ever so lightly.

Jack finally moved his lips away from my skin and sat up slightly. He used his other arm to lift me slightly, then, in one fluid motion, pulled my tank top over my head. He expertly unsnapped my bra, exposing my breasts to the cool night air. My nipples, already excited by his attention, became instantly hard.

Jack kissed me once on the lips before moving his mouth down to my breasts. His hand continued to caress my right breast while he used his lips and tongue to tease my left one. I leaned back and felt my back arch as he began to lick around my nipple, teasing little circles that left me moaning for more. Obviously encouraged by my moans, Jack sucked it into his mouth, using his teeth to bite and pull at the hardness. His hand was mimicking the movements of his mouth on my other breast.

Jack finally pulled his mouth away from my left breast and moved over to my right one. Before his hand could reach my other breast, however, I reached up and began toying with it myself. Using the moisture his mouth had left there as a lubricant, I slid my fingers around my nipple, stopping often to take it between my fingers and pinch it lightly. I cupped the whole thing in my palm, rolling it, squeezing it. Although Jack's mouth never left my other breast, I could see him watching me out of the corner of his eye, and, judging by the hardness that I felt against my leg, I could tell that he was enjoying it immensely.

It seemed like hours passed before Jack was finished with my breasts. He kissed his way back up by collarbone and my jawline, finally reaching my lips again. He brushed them lightly with his own. As he moved his lips to my earlobe, I felt his hand reach down and unbutton my jeans. He slid them down over my hips and legs, finally pulling them off. My panties followed, leaving my entire body exposed in front of him. He moved his lips away from my ear and stared down at me.

"God, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen!" he breathed. The words filled my heart. I reached up and, placing my hands behind his head, brought his lips back down to mine.

I gasped against his mouth as his hand slid down my chest and my stomach, finally reaching the very center of me. I could feel the heat rising from between my legs and knew that I was as wet as I'd ever been before in my life. His lips never leaving mine, he ran his hand lightly over my slit. I whimpered, my hips lifting into his hand, silently begging for more contact. I could feel him smile – he seemed to enjoy teasing me. Just when I thought I couldn't stand it any longer, he parted my slit and pushed a finger inside of me. My hips bucked involuntarily and he soothed me with another soft kiss. As I relaxed against him, he inserted another finger and began moving them steadily inside of me.

The fire was beginning inside of my belly. As though Jack could sense this, he placed his thumb against my clit, rubbing it in a perfect rhythm with the fingers that were still moving inside of me.

I began to ache. The friction against my clit was quickly pushing me towards the edge. Jack leaned in to kiss me as my release hit hard and fast. I screamed against his mouth as I felt myself squeeze against his fingers in a satisfying series of shudders that came from the very core of my body.

Jack lay beside me as the sensations faded. Then, in an act that I found strangely erotic, he brought his fingers to his mouth and tasted them.

"Oh, Kate," he said, leaning up on one elbow and looking down at me. "I've tasted you so many times in my dreams and it never, ever even came close to how wonderful you taste in real life."

His words were electrifying and arousing. "You dream about me?" I asked shyly.

"Every night," he told me, pausing to kiss me. "I've dreamt of kissing you, of holding you…" he paused, his hand moving down to caress my breasts again. "I've made love to you all over this island, Kate," he murmured, lowering his mouth to my neck as his hand slid lower, down to the region of my body that was still buzzing with the aftershock of my orgasm. "I've taken you in dozens of different ways, in every possible place…"

I moaned as I felt his fingers enter me again. I was still excruciatingly sensitive from my previous orgasm and his fingers were already sending waves of pleasure coursing through me once again. "Tell me more," I gasped, knowing that his words were going to push me over the edge once again.

Jack obliged, moving his fingers at a quicker pace. "Kate, I make love to you every night in my dreams," he murmured against my shoulder. "I wake up every morning so hard that it's painful. It actually hurts to touch it. But I have to… have to make myself come every morning….otherwise I'm afraid I'll simply go insane when I see you and just shove you up against a tree and…" he cut off as I began moaning loudly, my orgasm close.

"And what?" I gasped, rocking my hips against his pulsing fingers, desperate for release.

"And fuck your brains out," he said, his breathing ragged, his fingers moving at lightening speed. I came with another scream – this time Jack didn't smother it with his mouth.

It was several minutes before I could control my breathing again. Finally, I sat up and looked down at Jack, who was lying on his back, a pleased expression on his face.

"Jack," I said softly, leaning down and kissing him, my hair brushing against his chest. "Jack, you're amazing. No one ever…" I paused, unsure of how to express everything that I was feeling. Then, pushing sentiment aside for the moment, I decided to play. "You know, Jack," I began conversationally, a smile playing on my lips. "We've been in this relationship for what….about forty-five minutes now?" He looked up at me. "And yet we're already having problems." Jack looked startled, then opened him mouth to speak. "Hush," I told him, placing my finger against his lips. "The problem," I continued, "is that I'm sitting here completely naked and you're still wearing every stitch of clothing that you had on when we began."

Jack relaxed and smiled up at me. "Well, I guess we'll just have to fix that, huh?" he said teasingly.

"I guess we will," I said, lifting the hem of his t-shirt to place kisses along his rock-hard abs. I moved my mouth along his stomach and chest as I slowly moved his shirt up higher, taking his hardened nipples into my mouth and playfully biting them. I pulled the shirt over his head and pushed him back down to the ground, enjoying the sight of his sculpted chest glistening in the firelight.

I leaned down and placed my lips against his as my hand moved down to unbuckle his belt. "Getting closer," I murmured against his lips, succeeding with the buckle and moving to the button of his jeans. I snapped it open with a flick of my wrist, then eased the zipper down slowly, making sure that my hand brushed against the hardness that was straining against the fabric of his boxer shorts underneath. I pulled the jeans off of his legs, then moved my hands to the elastic waistband of his boxers. His cock sprang out of its confinement as I eased them down.

The sight of it amazed me. He was at least eight inches…probably the biggest I'd ever had. I resisted the urge to take him into my mouth immediately – I wanted to make him as crazy as he'd made me.

"I have a secret," I whispered, kissing my way back up his chest and straddling him between my legs.

"Want to tell me?" he asked and I could see the strain he was under trying to maintain control of his body.

"Yeah, I'll tell you," I said, still whispering seductively. "I dream about you, too, Jack," I said, my lips trailing along the warm skin of his neck.

"What do you dream about?" he asked, his breathing rough and jagged. I was enjoying this.

"The same things you do," I replied, moving my lips down along his chest, pleased to feel his massive cock straining to reach the warm, wet part of me that lay just out of its reach. "I dream of you kissing me, touching me, licking me. I dream of taking you into my mouth…." I cut off as I did just that. His body jerked underneath me and I could tell his was struggling to keep from coming instantly. He was so large that I couldn't take all of him into my mouth at once, so I settled for licking him instead, running my lips and tongue his rigid shaft, then lifting him to lick the underside. I took his balls into my hand and massaged them gently as I licked at the salty droplets that had formed on the head. I wrapped my hand around him and began to pump slowly.

"I wake up so wet every morning, Jack," I continued softly, my hand moving faster now. "I touch myself, play with myself, pretending that it's you." He groaned loudly and I could tell by the way his body was tightening up that his release was near. I lowered my lips to his ear, my hand never leaving his cock. "It's always your name I say when I come, Jack," I whispered in his ear. "Sometimes, if I'm sure no one else is anywhere near, I even scream it. You've already fucked me more times than you can imagine, Jack…" I was cut off when he gasped and jerked, his seed shooting out of his cock like ribbons. I kept pumping until he gave a final jerk, then lay back on the blanket, his body exhausted.

I couldn't resist tasting him before I wiped my hand off on the blanket. He smiled when I did this.

"You taste good," I told him as I snuggled up against his body, not minding the sweat in the least. He chuckled and pulled me close to him, kissing my forehead softly before closing his eyes.

We must have slept for several hours, because I could see the faint ribbons of light in the sky when I awoke. I had moved onto my side in my sleep and I could feel Jack pressed up firmly against my back, his arousal obvious and prodding.

I turned my neck to look back at him and met a pair of warm brown eyes looking deeply and lovingly into mine. "Hey," I whispered softly, not knowing what else to say.

"Hi," he returned, kissing my cheek gently. "I was afraid to wake you up, afraid this might all be another dream." His hand caressed my stomach.

"If this were a dream," I whispered back, pressing up against him, "what would you do?"

He bent down and kissed my lips. At the same time he lifted my leg and brought it over on top of his. I could feel his hardness at my entrance. "This," he murmured, slipping into me easily and unhurriedly.

I gasped at the sensations caused by finally having Jack inside of me. I had been afraid that he would be too large for me, that I wouldn't be able to fit him. But as he slid deeper, I knew that I had worried for nothing. We were a perfect fit.

I closed my eyes as Jack began to move within me. The position allowed him to penetrate me in a way that caused him to brush against my g-spot with every thrust and I could already feel the first ripplings of an orgasm.

Jack ran his fingers through my hair, brushing it away from my face and exposing my neckline to his waiting mouth. He licked and bit, blowing softly into my ear until I was ready to explode. His hand moved down my body to rub my clit in rhythm with his slow, steady thrusts.

Just when I thought I would faint from the tension, my body erupted into one of the most intense orgasm of my entire life. Waves of pleasure shot through my body, radiating outward from my belly up to the top of my head and down to the tips of my toes. My breath came in sobs as Jack continued his thrusting, each one sending fresh waves coursing through my shaking body.

Finally he slipped out of me, still hard as a diamond, and allowed my body to rest. His gentle whispers and kisses along my shoulder blades soothed me and the trembling finally stopped.

"Oh, my god, Jack," I managed, my breath still coming in short gasps. "I've never…no one's ever….I've never come that hard," I finished.

He smiled and kissed me, gently pushing me down against the blanket. He positioned himself over me and I felt him push lightly against me.

"Are you ready?" he asked. Not able to speak, I nodded.

He was inside me with one quick thrust. Whereas the first time he had been thrusting shallow, this time he went deep, deep inside of me. I moaned at the feeling of being filled so completely.

I had thought my body too exhausted to even contemplate another orgasm, so I was amazed to feel myself responding so enthusiastically to his penetration. He thrust faster and harder and I felt him begin to tighten.

"Oh, shit, Kate, you feel so fucking good. Come with me," he pleaded, his breathing shallow, moving even faster inside of me. "Please, I need you to come with me." His voice was all I needed. I felt myself tightening around him as my insides began to spasm. He let go just as I did, filling me up with his hot release.

Jack collapsed on top of me, breathing heavily. I wrapped my arms around him, gently running my fingernails along his spine, causing him to shiver despite the humidity of the jungle night. He finally regained control of his breathing and pulled himself off of me.

"So, was that better than in your dreams?" I asked him playfully as he flopped back down onto the blanket and pulled me close against his chest.

He rolled his eyes, then laughed. "Kate, I'm never going to be able to get enough of you," he said, sighing contentedly.

"I should hope not," I replied, wrapping my legs around his, desperate to get as close to him as I could. "You said you'd taken me dozens of different ways in your dreams. You've only shown me two so far – when do I get to experience all the others?"

Jack laughed again. "Soon enough, you little nympho," he teased. "Soon enough."

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**You know the drill...review, please...it gets my creative juices flowing and makes me want to write more!**


	3. Just a Shower

**Author's Note: I've had this particular "what-if?" scenario in my mind for quite a while now and it feels great to finally be writing it out. This one is for the very first person to review this series - Ella Jullian, who wanted a shower scene. For the rest of y'all – I've got your ideas jotted down and I promise I'll get to them eventually. **

**Also, if you want another really excellent shower story – read the first chapter of Tahti's _Caught_. Well, you should really read the whole thing 'cause it's just awesome and sexy as hell, but the first chapter features Jack in the shower.**

**-----------------------------**

**JUST A SHOWER**

**What if…Jack had put the moves on Kate after walking in on her while she was taking a shower?**

Kate leaned forward, pressing her hands against the sterile gray wall, allowing the hot water to cascade down her back in a steady, pulsing rhythm. Sure, the pressure sucked and the water would periodically go ice-cold for a few seconds before becoming hot again and it smelled like sulfur…but Kate was enjoying the hell out of the first shower she'd had in months that didn't involve her naked and shivering under a cold waterfall.

Kate changed positions, turning so that the water was now striking the front of her body. Ummm…the water felt so good flowing over her breasts, down her stomach, and over her thighs. It wasn't such a long shot to imagine the water being replaced by a pair of strong male hands…hands that were touching her, caressing her, running up and down the length of her body. Oh, those hands – so skillful!

Surgeon's hands.

Kate opened her eyes and realized that she had been unconsciously fondling her breasts. _What's the harm?_ she told herself, turning her face towards the spray and allowing her hands to travel further south. _If I can't have him in real life, I may as well enjoy him in my fantasies…_

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Jack made his way down into the hatch for his shift at the button. This particular shift – every third one for him – was especially enjoyable since it was the shift he shared with Kate.

Kate.

He wanted her so badly that his body actually ached with longing. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep in weeks. Every time he'd tried to close his eyes, images of her danced around him, causing him to wake covered in sweat with his cock straining painfully against his pants. The relief he found clenched in his own fist was very temporary.

And yet he couldn't do it. He couldn't muster up the courage to just stroll up to her and grab her and kiss her. He wasn't like Sawyer, who would probably do exactly that, or even Charlie, who certainly didn't have any problem making his feelings towards Claire perfectly clear.

_The timing hasn't been right yet_, Jack told himself, pushing aside a large palm frond as he neared the doorway to the hatch. _When the time is right, I'll know it. And I'll finally be able to tell her._

"Kate?" he called out as he entered the hatch. "Kate? You here?" No answer. Jack turned to look at the clock that was constantly ticking off numbers. Ten minutes left. _Whoa, Hurley, cutting it a little close, huh?_ Jack thought as he plopped down in the chair in front of the computer. He'd run into Hurley on the path to the hatch and Hurley'd told him that there was plenty of time left and that he'd promised to move some stuff for Libby.

The incessant beeping began – Jack swore he could hear the fucking sound in his sleep now – and he mindlessly punched in the series of numbers and watched as the clocked flipped back to its starting point.

_Where the hell was Kate?_ Jack wondered as he shoved back from the table and stood up. It wasn't like her to be late for her shift. _Probably out drinking with Sawyer_, he thought bitterly as he stretched his legs.

Jack was wandering toward the kitchen when he heard a strange sound – running water. _Where is that coming from?_ he asked himself as he moved closer to the noise. It was coming from the bathroom. As far as he knew, none of them had tried the shower yet – he wasn't even sure it worked. But that's certainly what it sounded like.

He rapped on the door with his knuckles. "Hey, anybody there?" he called out. No answer.

Jack pushed open the door. There, standing in a misty haze with water cascading down her gloriously naked body…with her hands rubbing soap across her perfect, firm breasts…was Kate.

Jack was instantly hard, harder than he'd ever been in his life, harder than he'd ever thought he could be.

Kate's eyes were closed and her head was tilted back. _What could she be thinking about?_ Jack wondered as he continued to absorb the scene. Was it possible that she was thinking of him?

Jack knew he had about two seconds to make his decision. Would he go to her and seek release or would he do the gentlemanly thing, the honorable thing, and leave as quietly as he'd entered?

Jack took a deep breath and knew that he had to take the plunge. He'd always promised himself that he'd tell Kate when the time was right…and this certainly seemed like a sign. He had to know. If she screamed and pushed him away…well, then, he'd have his answer. He knew that the rejection would cause a part of him to die inside…but at least he wouldn't have to spend the rest of his life wondering.

Jack closed his eyes and counted to five. Opening them, he uttered a single word, a word that was more beautiful to him than any other.

"Kate."

Kate's eyes snapped open and she turned her face away from the spray. There in the doorway stood Jack – _Jack_ – the man she had just been fantasizing about, the man that she dreamt of every single night.

"Kate."

He said her name again and she was almost frightened by the intensity in his voice as he moved towards her. Frightened…and aroused, yes, incredibly aroused. Kate forced her mind to shut down and focused only on what her heart and body were telling her. She turned fully towards him and opened her arms wide.

"Jack." Her voice was soft, strained.

Jack lost every ounce of his self-control at the sound of her voice. He stumbled towards her, barely managing to kick off his shoes before throwing himself under the hot spray of water and into her waiting arms.

Jack crushed his mouth to hers as he lifted her. Her legs went around his waist naturally and it only took two steps before he had slammed her against the back wall. Tongues dueled and teeth scraped as their hands frantically roamed, each one desperate to touch, to feel.

Jack sunk his teeth into the base of Kate's throat and she let out a loud scream as she tore at the buttons on his now-soaked shirt. He let go of her for a moment, using the force of his body to keep her pinned against the wall, to unbuckle his belt and shove his pants down.

"Kate," he moaned, his breath coming in jagged spurts. "Kate, I have to have you now. I can't go slow or be easy. I swear…" More gulped breaths. "I swear, I swear that later I will make love to you all night long, but I have to fuck you now."

Kate's body shuddered at the passion in his voice. She couldn't speak, so she simply opened herself up to him and buried her face into his shoulder.

Jack shoved his aching hardness into her with a force unlike anything she'd ever experienced. Gripping her ass firmly in his hands, he began to thrust in and out of her at a rapid pace.

Kate's entire body was tingling. Waves of hot and cold were rushing over her all at once as Jack continued to pound into her. She was walking on the edge of the abyss…walking…now running…now sprinting.

Kate screamed as the orgasm tore through her body, the intensity of it painful and pleasurable at the same time. Jack groaned loudly as she tightened around him, finding himself, too, on the edge. He gave two more powerful thrusts before emptying himself into her.

Jack felt his legs giving out underneath him and he sunk to the cool tile floor of the shower with Kate still in his arms, her breath coming in sobbing gasps. They lay there for what seemed like hours, hot water pooling around them, neither able to move or speak.

Jack finally managed to pull himself up on one elbow to look down at Kate. "Kate, wow, I'm sorry. I…I never expected our first time to be like that. I wanted to take you somewhere nice and…well, seduce you and play for hours before finally making love to you, but…"

Kate stopped him with a kiss. "Jack, that was the most amazing sex I've ever had. Ever. Ever, ever, ever." She paused as she began to giggle. "It's like you knew."

Jack looked confused. "Knew what?"

Kate blushed, then thought, _oh, what the hell_. "That I was in here imaging that very scenario," she told him, ducking her head shyly.

Jack gulped, unable to stop the image from forming in his mind. Kate naked, touching herself…and thinking of him, _him_, while she was doing it. He was amazed to feel himself hardening again. _What the hell is she doing to me?_ he wondered as he lowered his lips to hers. _I always need at least half and hour or so to recharge, but she's got me ready to go again in what seems like seconds._

Jack focused all of his attention on the kiss they were now engaged in. He had promised her that he would make love to her and he intended to keep that promise.

With one hand tangled in her wet curls and the other caressing her cheek, Jack used his tongue to trace the outline of Kate's bottom lip. Adding his lips, he sucked it into his mouth, using his teeth to nibble ever so slightly. Shifting slightly, he began to explore the inner recesses of her mouth with his tongue, delighted when it made contact with hers.

Jack's lips slid away from hers and began traveling along her jaw line. Moving down to her neck, he sucked and bit at the sensitive skin as Kate's moans grew deeper and deeper. Encouraged by her reactions, Jack allowed his mouth to follow his hands further down until his lips came in contact with one of her breasts, causing Kate to sharply draw a jagged breath.

Jack used his tongue to draw little circles around her nipples, causing them to stiffen more than she'd ever thought possible.

"More, Jack, please, I need more," Kate moaned as she arched to meet his hot, wet mouth. He complied, taking a nipple deep into his mouth, biting it, sucking it, pulling on it with his lips.

Just when Kate thought she might pass out from the sensations that were already beginning to ripple through her body, Jack released her nipple and began kissing and licking his way down her stomach. And then he was at her center, which was dripping with her arousal.

Jack teased her by lightly licking up and down her slit several times before finally plunging his tongue into her. _God, it was finally happening!_ he thought as he increased the pressure his tongue was placing on her. He had wanted to taste her for so long now…and now he was…and she tasted better than he'd ever come close to imagining.

Kate moans were turning into screams now and he could tell that she was getting close. He focused all of his attention on her clit, using his tongue to flick it over and over again in a rapid motion.

"Oh, God, Jack, I can't stand it!" Kate cried out, her breathing frenzied now. She was writhing on the shower floor, so violently that Jack had to hold her hips in place to be able to continue his assault on her senses. "Jack, I'm coming, I'm coming!" She screamed this last bit, her body shaking uncontrollably, juices pouring out of her as her orgasm took over her entire being.

Moving away from her hot, wet center, Jack pulled her still-quaking body into his arms and lay back with her. She finally calmed down and her breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Jack, you're incredible," Kate sighed as she snuggled into his shoulder. "No one has ever made me come that fast or that hard." Jack couldn't help but feel a surge of manly pride at her words. He was about to reply when his cock twitched playfully against her leg, causing her to let out a soft giggle.

"Oh, poor baby," she murmured, laying flat on her back and pulling Jack on top of her. "Do you need some attention, too?" Jack decided that words were unnecessary as he slid into the hot, velvety wetness between her legs.

How had he already forgotten how good being it felt to be buried inside of her? He stared down at her in wonderment as he began moving slowly within her. He felt as if he could stay there forever.

Jack's heart lurched at the thought. It felt right because it _was_ right. He knew then, in that very instant, that Kate was the one. He knew without a doubt that he loved her. He knew now that he had loved her since the first time he'd seen her, standing in that sandy clearing with her silky curls blowing all around, a dazed expression on her face. And now, here, inside of her…he knew that all the others - all the one-night stands, all the "relationships" he had been sucked into, even his marriage to Sarah – he knew that they had all just been practice for this, for the real thing.

Jack looked deep into Kate's green eyes as he continued his agonizingly slow movements. He lightly brushed a stray curl off her cheek, then bent to kiss her gently, delicately, on the lips. "Kate, I…I love you," he whispered softly, watching her face intently. "I love you so much. I…" he broke off as the tears that had formed in the corners of Kate's eyes began to run down her cheeks.

"I love you, too, Jack," she managed. "Ever since the day we met…I can't even remember what it was like not to be in love with you." She reached behind him to pull him deeper inside of her, needing, wanting to be closer to him than she ever had before.

Jack groaned audibly as he slid further into her. Never before had he been this deep or felt this connected to another person. The feeling aroused him and he sped up his thrusts.

"Kate, I'm close," he warned, panting heavily as the pace of his thrusts quickened even more. "So close, Kate. Come with me, please, come with me, I want to feel you come. I want to feel you tighten around me, Kate, please!" He closed his eyes as he gave his final thrust, pouring his hot seed into her, delighted to feel her shudder and tighten around his pulsing cock at the same moment. He collapsed on top of her, sated.

Jack managed to pull himself off of her enough so that her body wasn't crushed beneath him. He was just about to speak when she let out a shrill scream.

"What the – " he began before the blast of icy water hit him as well. "Shit!" he said, grabbing Kate and sliding backwards towards the far wall. "That's fucking cold!" The water had gone from hot to ice cold in a matter of seconds.

Kate giggled as Jack scrambled to turn off the water. Just as he finished twisting the knobs, the timer began its incessant beeping.

"Shit!" Jack muttered again, grabbing a towel from the shelf beside the shower stall. "Have we really been in here over and hour and a half?"

"Stop bragging," Kate admonished, taking a towel for herself. "Go punch in the numbers. And hurry back," she added with a wink.

Jack tied the towel around his waist and jogged into the computer room, where he quickly punched in the numbers and watched the clock flip back to its start time.

Kate was walking towards the sink when she heard a thud and yet another muttered "shit." She giggled, wondering what Jack could have banged in to.

She couldn't help smiling when she saw herself in the mirror. Hair tangled, lips swollen and bruised, the beginnings of a very defined passion mark on her neck…and one on her right breast…and another on the inside of her left thigh.

"You know, if that's the image that appeared in front of me every time I looked in the mirror, I'd never leave the damn thing," Jack said as he walked up behind her, slipping his arms easily and naturally around her waist. Kate smiled at his reflection, the craned her neck around to kiss him.

"So, did I do all that?" Jack asked when they finally broke apart, gesturing at the marks on her neck and breast.

Kate nodded. "And this too," she added, parting the towel that was draped around her waist and pointing towards her thigh.

"Damn, I'm good," Jack replied, chuckling as he saw Kate rolling her eyes in the mirror. She was about to turn away when Jack yanked the towel away from her body, leaving her fully exposed in front of the mirror. He pulled her hands away as she moved to cover herself. "I want to look at you," he told her softly, pushing her hands to her sides and then bringing his up to cup her breasts. "I want to look at us."

Kate made a half-hearted attempt to wiggle out of his grasp. "Jack, this is silly," she protested.

"No, no, wait a minute," he told her, pressing hard against her back, his hands still on her breasts. "Look, Kate, look at us," he commanded. "Look at how perfect it is."

Kate finally looked into the mirror and was surprised at the arousal she felt as she stared at their reflections – at her own nakedness, at his hands slowly and surely caressing her body, at his lips placing small nibbles along her collarbone. _So Dr. Shephard's got some kinky in him,_ she thought, giving into the sensations, tilting her head to expose more of her neck to Jack's eager mouth. _Mirrors – who would have guessed?_

Kate reached back and pulled the towel away from Jack's hips. She moaned as she felt his hardness pressed against her, enjoying the expressions on his face as she watched him in the mirror. As she watched, he moved his hands lower, running lightly over the coarse curls that covered her wet center.

She gasp as his finger slid into her, unable to tear her eyes away from the mirror. This was the most erotic moment of her life.

"Do you like this, Kate?" Jack murmured into her ear. "Do you like watching me touch you?"

"Yes," Kate managed, her breath coming in short gasps now. She gripped the counter in front of her, afraid her legs were going to give out beneath her.

"Do you want to watch me take you, Kate?" Jack breathed into her ear. "Do you want me to bend you over this counter and take you from behind so you can watch me, watch us, and see how much I'm enjoying you?"

Kate couldn't find her voice. She simply bent over the counter, exposing herself to him.

Jack groaned as he pushed his hardness inside of her, the position allowing him a completely different angel that either of their previous encounters. He gripped her hips hard and began moving within her.

Kate felt the fire beginning in her belly as she watched him take her. His eyes met hers in the mirror and she saw the love, the passion, the wanting in them.

As she watched, his hand reached around and began stoking her clit in perfect rhythm with his powerful thrusts. She came within seconds, collapsing onto the counter in front of her, her breathing ragged.

Kate felt Jack speed up his thrusts and looked up in time to see him throw his head back in ecstasy as he gave a final thrust, filling the inside of her with his hot release.

After he had pulled out of her, Kate turned and fell into Jack's open arms. They stood for several minutes, just holding one another, neither willing to let the other go.

Finally Kate sighed and pulled away. They needed to get dressed; pretty soon the next shift would arrive.

She grinned at Jack as she went to gather her clothes. "So, mirrors, huh?" she teased him playfully.

Jack shrugged. "I thought it would be cool," he replied casually. Then he returned her grin. "Turns out I was right."

Kate laughed. "Yeah, I guess you were," she agreed. "Well, Dr. Kinky, what do you have in store for me next?"

Jack grinned mischievously at her. "I know you can't wait to find out," he told her, ducking out of the bathroom just as her shoe came flying at his head.

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**Okay, so I know some of that was sort of soppy and romance-novel-style cheesy, but I was in a sentimental mood today. I've really enjoyed reading all y'all's suggestions so far, so keep 'em coming and I'll try to get to them all eventually. Oh, and of course…REVIEW, PLEASE! **


	4. Beneath a Starry Sky

**Author's Note: This one if for Tahti, another of my very loyal readers. She refuses to believe that after that charming fireside scene at the end of the episode "Everybody Hates Hugo" that Jack and Kate would just go their separate ways after having such a wonderful time talking and laughing and eating together. So, Tahti, maybe you'll like this ending better. **

**-----------------------------**

**BENEATH A STARRY SKY **

**What if…the affection that was so obvious between Jack and Kate at the end of "Everybody Hates Hugo" led to a romantic walk, a bottle of champagne, and a whole lot more?**

"Oh, my god, you have to taste this!" Kate exclaimed, shoving a finger coated in peanut butter into Jack's unsuspecting mouth.

"mwwfmp…" he muttered, shoving her playfully as he attempted to swallow the thick substance that was currently binding his mouth together.

"Oh, stop being such a baby," Kate teased, dipping her finger back into the jar and licking it contentedly.

Jack finally managed to swallow. "Well, it isn't JIF or Peter Pan, but I guess it'll do," he said, chuckling and reaching for another cookie from the open bag sitting in front of Kate.

As he chewed his cookie, Jack surveyed the group that had amassed around the huge bonfire to enjoy the variety of foods and drinks that had been found in the pantry of the hatch. It was the first time in the fifty-plus days that they'd been on the island that everyone was actually going to go to bed with a full stomach.

Jack turned his attention back to Kate. She had abandoned the peanut butter for some potato chips and was crunching away. He couldn't help smiling at the sight. She looked so beautiful in the firelight, her eyes sparkling and her curls dancing slightly in the breeze. She was the perfect image of a gorgeous, sophisticated lady…yet she was shoving potato chips in her mouth like a five-year-old kid. The contrast amazed him, as it constantly did.

Kate caught him staring. _He's actually relaxing and having fun for once_, she thought, noticing how the firelight had turned his brown eyes amber. She thought for a moment, then stood up, grabbing her backpack as she did so.

"Come on," she said to Jack, yanking on his arm and pulling him up off the log where they had been perched.

"Where're we going?" he asked, brushing some sand off of the legs of his jeans and reaching for his pack.

"Secret," she said, grinning at him and patting her backpack mysteriously. "Let's walk for awhile." She turned and started up the beach. Jack smiled, shook his head, and followed her.

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They walked companionably for twenty minutes or so, each simply enjoying the cool ocean breeze and the feel of the sand beneath their bare feet, neither feeling the need to fill the silence with idle chitchat.

They rounded a bend in the beach and Kate stopped suddenly, causing Jack, who was walking slightly behind her, to run straight into her.

"Wow," Kate said almost reverently, looking out at the scene before her. The beach turned sharply inland after curving around the bend, enclosing a gorgeous lagoon. The water, which must have been crystal clear during the day, now shone silver from the light of the full moon, which was so huge that Kate almost felt as if she could reach up and touch it. A million stars dotted the sky and the beach glowed white in the moonlight. It was the most beautiful place Kate had ever seen.

"This is incredible," Jack said softly, reaching into his pack and pulling out a blanket, which he spread out along the sand. "I've never seen anything like it," he added, settling his long form down on the blanket and pulling Kate down beside him.

"You know what it reminds me of?" Kate asked, adjusting her body and trying to find a comfortable position. "That artist, Christian…Lassen or Leison or something like that – the one who does all those pictures of the ocean and dolphins and whales and all kinds of other sea animals. You know who I'm talking about?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I think so. One of his murals was hanging in the lobby of a clinic where I occasionally saw patients."

"Anyway, a lot of his work shows the ocean under a huge silver moon like this. I keep waiting for a dolphin to leap up and be silhouetted against it." She and Jack both smiled at the image.

"So, what's the surprise you have in there?" Jack asked, nudging her bag with his knee.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Kate exclaimed, reaching for her bag and rummaging around. "Tada!" She held up a greenish bottle.

"Dharma champagne?" Jack said, leaning over to read the label. He raised his eyebrows at Kate. "Now I've seen everything."

"I took it from the hatch," Kate explained, using her fingernails to remove the foil covering the top of the bottle. "It was the only one I saw. I guess they were saving it for something special."

"Well, I'm flattered that you chose to share it with me, and…oh, come on, you have to be kidding me! It has a screw-on lid!" Jack complained.

"So sorry, dear sir," Kate said sarcastically. "Why don't I ask the maitre'd to bring us some Dom?"

Jack laughed along with her as she unscrewed the metal top and raised the bottle to her lips. "To fate," she said, tilting it back and taking a deep swallow. She wiped her lips and handed the bottle to Jack.

"To us," he said quietly, taking a sip. He grimaced. "Wow, that's…that's really not good."

Kate shrugged. "It doesn't taste like much of anything to me," she admitted. "But then, I've never tasted champagne before, so I really wouldn't know."

"Really?" Jack asked, taking another swig before passing the bottle back to her. "Not even at your sweet sixteen or your graduation or anything? A wedding, even?"

Kate snorted. "Jack, we live in different worlds. On my sixteenth birthday, my father beat up my mother so badly that I had to take her to the hospital. I didn't attend my high school graduation. I've only been to two weddings in my entire life. One was held in a tiny little clapboard church with the reception in the basement and the other was in a local bar where you would have been tossed out if you asked for champagne." She tilted the bottle back and drank some more. "What about you? When was the first time you had it?"

Jack thought for a minute, taking the bottle back from Kate and sipping before he answered. "I guess my sweet sixteen party, although I'm sure I probably swiped a glass or two during one of my parents' parties."

"Did you have champagne at your wedding?" Kate asked, giggling as a tiny hiccup escaped her.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh, Sarah wouldn't have dreamed of not serving champagne. It…well, it sounds really stupid now, but we actually had a champagne fountain."

Kate giggled again. "A champagne _fountain_?"

Jack grimaced, drank some more. "Yeah, it was all the rage in our circle at the time." He stopped, shook his head. "Wow, I must be getting drunk if I'm telling you this stuff." He looked over at Kate. "What about you? How're you feeling?"

Kate shrugged her shoulders and looked out at the lagoon. "Tipsy," she said. "Lightheaded. Happy. Sexy."

Jack drew in a sharp breath. "Uh, sexy?" he asked in a strangled voice.

Kate smiled at his discomfort. "Yeah, sexy," she said. "I feel sexy when I drink. It makes my body feel all loose and fluid, kind of how I feel after a really powerful orgasm."

Jack swore his body temperature must have shot up several full degrees. His pants suddenly felt uncomfortably tight.

"Umm…well…uh, I, uh…" he stammered on for several seconds, his brain muddled by alcohol and thoughts that surely belonged in an X-rated movie.

Kate winked at him and turned the bottle up, emptying the rest of the champagne into her mouth. "All gone," she purred, dangling the empty bottle between her fingertips. And then she was on top of him.

Jack was under complete sensory overload as Kate's lips pressed firmly against his. _This is Kate_, he thought, his hands involuntarily reaching up to entangle themselves in her curly locks. _Kate, the woman you've been dreaming about for weeks now, Kate, your beautiful, smart, funny, sexy Kate,_ he told himself. _You can't lie and say you haven't thought of this, dreamed of this…_

He lost all control when her lips parted and he suddenly felt her tongue caressing his, softly at first, then with greater intensity. He grasped the back of her head and pulled her closer to his, his tongue dueling with hers. _God, she tastes so fucking good…_

Kate moaned loudly, bringing him back to reality. "Whoa, Kate, hold it!" he commanded, his breathing ragged. "Stop!" he said more forcefully, gently pushing her body off of his.

Kate rolled away and sat up, her arms hugging her drawn-up knees tightly. Jack felt a sharp pain in his heart as he watched a small tear slip out of the corner of her eye and roll down her cheek.

"I thought…I thought you wanted me," she said quietly, impatiently brushing at her face as another tear escaped. "I thought that…"

Jack cut her off. "Kate, I do want you, more than you could possibly imagine." He stopped, took a deep breath. "But not like this."

Kate turned her head and looked at him, her eyes expressing her confusion. "What in the world are you talking about, Jack? What do you mean, _like this_?"

"I don't want you to do something now that you'll regret when you sober up, Kate," he explained, hating himself for causing those tears in her eyes. "I'm afraid you'd hate me tomorrow for taking advantage of you and I couldn't stand that. I…" He broke off as Kate started laughing.

"Oh, Jack, you're really something else, you know that?" she giggled, turning towards him and taking his face in her hands. "You're the sweetest, kindest, most gentlemanly, most honorable man I've ever know." She stroked his cheek lightly and Jack's heart skipped a beat. "But, Jack," she continued. "I may be a little tipsy right now but I know exactly what I'm doing. I knew what I was doing before we even opened that bottle of champagne. I knew as soon as I saw this place that it had to be here." She brought her face close to his. "Don't you see, Jack? Our first time needs to be here, in this place."

"Our first…" Jack said, dazed. He was having trouble processing his thoughts with her so close to him, her scent intoxicating. He shook his head as if to clear it. "Are you sure, Kate? Really sure? It would kill me if you regretted this later and I…"

Kate cut him off with a kiss. "Jack, I could never hate you. I've wanted this for a long time." She grinned slyly at him. "The champagne just made me brave enough to go after what I wanted."

Jack's head was spinning. _This is really going to happen_, he thought wildly. All his dreams, all his fantasies…they were finally coming true.

"Com'ere, baby," he whispered huskily, pulling Kate down onto the blanket beside him and adjusting his body so that he was leaning up on one elbow staring down at her. He stroked her cheek gently as he stared deep into her eyes.

"And what about you, Dr. Shephard?" Kate said softly, teasingly. "Are you sober enough to know what you're doing or are you going to hate me in the morning for seducing you?"

Jack chuckled softly, then bent down close to her. "Kate, I've wanted you since the first time I saw you," he said quietly, his lips inches away from hers. "You were so beautiful standing there with your hair blowing in the breeze. It was almost enough to make me forget all the horror we'd just been through." He stopped and grinned at her. "I have to tell you…I, uh…I barely felt anything when you were stitching me up because I was concentrating so hard on how good your hands felt against my skin."

"Like this?" Kate whispered, reaching up under his shirt and rubbing her hands softly, silkily along his broad back.

"Exactly like that," Jack murmured before bringing his lips down upon hers.

Jack took his time with the kiss, wanting to memorize every detail – the feel of her lips, the taste of her mouth, the sounds of the low moans coming from deep within her throat. He used different pressures – soft at first, then a little harder, then soft again. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, sucking it lightly into his own mouth. When he felt that she was ready, he used his tongue to gently probe her mouth open under his.

Their tongues met and Jack swallowed a groan as the taste of her overwhelmed him once again. They licked and sucked and tasted for what seemed like hours, stopping only briefly to catch their breaths before delving into one another once again.

Finally Kate pulled away and lay back against the blanket. She stared up into Jack's face, slightly flushed with exertion and impossibly handsome in the moonlight. "You're a good kisser," she told him, reaching up to touch his stubbled cheek.

Jack grinned, then brushed her hair off of her shoulders. "I want to taste more of you," he said, bending down to place a series of small kisses along her jaw line and down her neck. She cried out when he reached her collarbone and he concentrated long and hard on it, knowing that he'd discovered one of her sensitive spots. Satisfied that he'd aroused her, he sat up, his hand on the hem of her tank top.

"Can I see you?" he asked her, almost shyly. When she nodded, he lifted the shirt slowly, kissing his way up her firm stomach to the bottom of her bra. Lifting her slightly, he swooped the garment over her head, her hair floating around her like a cloud. He settled her back against the blanket and unsnapped the clasp that connected her bra in the front. She raised her arms slightly and the bra fell away, leaving her taut breasts exposed in front of him.

"You're beautiful," Jack said simply before leaning down to take one hard nipple into his mouth. He toyed with her breasts, fondling them, sucking on them, biting them, until she was writhing underneath him, her breath coming in short gasps.

Jack paused with his hand at the zipper of her jeans. He looked at her as if asking permission. The last thing he wanted to do was do something that made her uncomfortable.

Kate's heart filled as she stared back at him, at this incredible man who was so obviously craving his own release and yet was only focused on making her feel good. In answer, she reached down and unbuttoned and unzipped the jeans herself, shoving them down her legs. Her panties, now soaked with her arousal, followed and she unceremoniously kicked them off.

Jack gulped in several huge breaths of air as his eyes roamed over her naked body. It took every ounce of self-control that he possessed not to rip off his own jeans and plunge himself into her that very instant.

Jack kneeled between her legs. He ran his hands up and down them, causing her to shiver at the sensations. He lightly moved his hand over her center, smiling as she raised her hips in an effort to make more contact. He could actually feel the heat rising out of her.

"Let's see how all of you tastes," he said, grinning wickedly as he lowered his mouth to the most sensitive part of her.

Kate wiggled her hips in pleasure as she felt his tongue begin to lick up and down her folds. After several moments of teasing her in this fashion, he used his fingers to part her folds and open her up even more.

Kate cried out as his tongue hit her clit, which was swollen with desire. Wanting to prolong her pleasure, Jack's lips and tongue repeatedly brought her to the edge, always backing off just before she fell.

Just when Kate thought that she might actually pass out from the painful pleasure that he was causing her, Jack shoved two fingers inside of her and used his tongue to apply increasing pressure to her clit.

The force of her orgasm, as strong as a thousand rubber bands snapping at once, actually forced Kate's entire upper body off the ground as her back arched into a shaped seldom seem outside a professional gymnastics competition. She was grateful for the hold that Jack had on her hips, for she was sure that she'd float right up into the air otherwise.

Jack gently eased his mouth away from her dripping center. He moved up to lay beside her, enjoying the sound of the little moans that were still slipping through her slightly parted lips.

Finally, Kate opened her eyes and looked at him. "Jack, that ought to be illegal," she said, sighing contentedly and snuggling up next to him. "You're amazing," she added, rubbing her lips against his, delighted to taste herself on him.

Kate looked down and smiled at the sight of his erection straining against the denim of his blue jeans. "Now, that looks downright uncomfortable," she said sitting up and running one hand across his torso, barely grazing the bulging fabric.

"It's been better," Jack admitted, causing Kate to giggle as she toyed with his belt buckle.

"Well, I guess I'll have to see if I can do something about that," she said, slowly unbuttoning his jeans and sliding the zipper down. He sat up and yanked his shirt over his head as she worked the denim down his legs, tossing them carelessly aside. His boxers followed.

"You're beautiful," Kate said, echoing his earlier words as he lay back against the blanket, his sculpted chest glistening in the moonlight. She took him in her hand, marveling at his size. Oh, but he was going to feel good inside of her!

Kate used the droplets that had already gathered at the tip of his cock to lubricate him enough to make her hand glide silkily up and down his length. She watched his face intently, happy to see him close his eyes and contort his face into an expression of pure ecstasy.

Just as she felt him beginning to swell in her hand, he sat up and pulled away from her. "What? What's wrong?" she asked him, as he lay back down on the blanket, his eyes still closed. "Did I do something wrong?"

Jack kept his eyes closed, concentrating hard on backing away from the edge that the smooth movements of her hand had him teetering on. Finally, his breathing under control, he opened his eyes and looked at her. "Christ, no, Kate," he said, chuckling and pulling her down to him. "You were about to make me come, that's all."

"And what's wrong with that?" Kate demanded, raising up on one elbow and staring down at him. "That's kinda the point, you know."

Jack laughed again, a sound that Kate knew she'd never grow tired of. "I just wasn't ready, that's all," he told her, reaching behind her head to pull her lips towards his. "I want the first time I come with you to be inside of you," he added after placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

Kate grinned at that, marveling at his control. She lay back against the blanket, pulling him on top of her. "Jack, I want you…want this…so badly," she said softly, arching her hips up to meet him.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, placing little nibbling kisses along her earlobe.

"Jack Shephard, I swear to god, if you ask me that one more time…" Kate was cut off as Jack slid inside her easily and unhurriedly.

Kate's entire body trembled as Jack pushed further inside her, moving gently, smoothly, until he was completely buried. Never before had a man filled his this deeply or this completely. Kate had read hundreds of cheesy romance novels and always laughed at their sappy wordage, but she finally realized what they meant by the phrase "becoming one."

Jack stared down at her as he began to move his swollen length in and out of her slowly. Kate could see the tenderness and…something more…possibly even love in his eyes. _This is right_, she thought, closing her eyes and tilting her head back, exposing her neckline to Jack's hot, wet mouth. _This feels so right_.

Kate whimpered loudly as Jack began to speed up his thrusts. A fire was burning in her lower belly and she knew that her orgasm was close. "Oh, fuck, Jack, you feel so good," she moaned, pumping her own hips in rhythm with his. "I'm close, so clo…" Kate's words were cut off by the scream that escaped her lips as her orgasm hit, a scream so loud that Jack was sure that their friends could hear it all the way back at the beach camp, at the caves even. It excited him, spurred him on as he pumped his hips even faster.

Kate couldn't believe how much stamina Jack possessed. She had no more come down from her first high before she felt the rumblings of yet another orgasm building inside of her. Kate's cries grew louder. She had _never_ experienced multiple orgasms before.

Jack felt Kate tightening around him again and knew that her second release was close. He sped up his thrusts, wanting, _needing_, to come with her, to experience it with her.

"Come, Kate," he told he softly, his eyes never leaving hers as he felt his balls tightening. "Come with me, please." Kate nodded once before closing her eyes and letting the waves crash over her, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably beneath Jack's.

It was all Jack needed. He came with a loud grunt, pumping seemingly endless ribbons of hot seed into her throbbing body. Each spurt caused fresh tremors in Kate, who came again and again until she thought her body would literally explode.

They both crashed to the ground, unable to talk, unable to breath, unable to even think in the wake of their intense releases.

Jack finally broke the silence, his breathing somewhat under control. "So, uh, was it good for you?" he asked, chuckling.

Kate rolled her eyes and playfully swatted him on the butt. "The _multiple_ multiple orgasms I had would seem to suggest that it was," she told him, swatting him again as his chest puffed up in masculine pride. They wrestled playfully for a few minutes before settling back on the blanket, Kate's head nestled in the crook of Jack's shoulder, one leg draped across his. She couldn't bear to lose contact with him for even a second.

Jack and Kate eventually slept, their bodies still intertwined, the huge silver moon blanketing them in a silvery light for the rest of the night. They were awakened the next morning by a loud "_AHEM"_ that came from a startled Claire out on an early morning walk with baby Aaron. She grinned as they rushed to cover themselves with the blanket, laughing over their mumbled excuses and blushing faces. She simply waved and walked on, thrilled that her two friends, who were so obviously in love with one another, had finally given into their feelings.

-----------------------------

**Thanks so much for all the reviews so far! Obviously Kinky Jate was a popular theme, judging by the reviews for _Just a Shower_, so I guess I'll have to dream up some more such circumstances. I thought that this particular "what-if?" scenario required a little more romance and a little less kinky, though, so I opted for sweet in this one. Plus, my raging pregnancy hormones have had me in a sappy, sentimental mood lately (I absolutely BAWLED while watching the _Friends_ episode where Rachel and Ross finally get together the other day)! Anyway, suggestions for new stories always welcome, of course, and please let me know what you think of this one! **


	5. High Stakes

**Author's Note: Okay, so I just have to tell y'all what happened to me this past weekend. I was at the Georgia Tech-Miami game (go Jackets!) and we were tailgating in our usual spot. This group of guys walked past us and I just happened to glance over at them – and there was this one guy who looked so much like Matthew Fox that I actually jumped up out of my chair and started staring. I mean, the resemblance was unbelievable. Same height, same build, same facial features, same cropped hair. He had on sunglasses so I couldn't see his eyes, but everything else…wow! I grabbed one of my girlfriends who also loves _Lost_ and she about freaked out. We were wondering if we could, like, ask him to put on a sleeveless shirt and pose with us. Or kiss us. Or marry us. Or…something else that would have been wild even according to drunken tailgating standards. Yeah, our husbands were NOT amused. Anyway, it was SO COOL!**

**Okay, so this story…this "what-if?" is from the episode "Collision" and is a revamping of the scene where Jack and Kate play golf. This is one of my favorite Jack and Kate moments in the show – I just love the playful banter and the obvious (well, it's obvious to me anyway, but maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see!) sexual tension between them.**

**I know absolutely nothing about golf so forgive me if I've screwed up any lingo.**

**Oh, and I know that I'm taking dialogue directly from the show in most of these fics, but it's not like I'm claiming it's my own. I own everything x-rated, though – not such a bad deal!**

**So…**

**-----------------------------**

**HIGH STAKES**

**What if…the stakes of the friendly golf game between Jack and Kate had been raised?**

Jack was standing beside the water trough chatting with Rose when a golf ball came soaring past his head, narrowly missing him as it landed in the water with a splash. He looked around to see where it had come from and spotted Kate standing several hundred yards down the beach, one hand shading her eyes from the sun and the other swinging a golf club. Hurley and Charlie were with her and looked as if they were arguing about something.

Jack excused himself, coloring slightly when Rose gave him her famous "I-know-exactly-what-you're-up-to-young-man" look. He jogged down the beach toward the threesome, smiling as he got closer and picked up on the conversation.

"Past the hanging tree, double or nothing," Hurley was telling Kate, pointing down the beach.

"You sure?" Kate replied, smirking at the other two. Jack grinned at her arrogance.

"Dude, double or nothing, there's no way you're hitting it that far," Hurley told her.

Charlie interrupted. "You're just gonna get embarrassed again, Hurley," he warned. "The woman's on bloody steroids."

Kate laughed, then kicked sand at Charlie. She turned to Hurley. "Double's ten thousand bucks," she told him.

Charlie chuckled. "Oh, that's nothing to someone who's worth one hundred and fifty million dollars. He'll build you your own course, if you'd like."

Kate stared at Charlie in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Hurley swiftly steered the conversation away from the subject of money. "Ignore him, he's an idiot," he told Kate. "Now hit the damn ball."

Kate lined up her shot and swung with all her might. The ball sailed through the air, easily passing Hurley's designated spot.

"Crap!" Hurley muttered, turning when he heard Jack laughing behind him.

"Glad someone's having some fun around here," Jack told them, strolling up the where they were standing. "You hooked it," he continued, turning towards Kate. "Try keeping your left arm straight."

Kate looked as him incredulously. "You're giving me tips?"

Jack smiled indulgently at her. "Kate, I'm…I'm a doctor," he said, as if that explained everything.

Kate rolled her eyes. "So you think you could do better?" she challenged, her eyes blazing.

Jack nodded, chuckling. "Kate, anyone can hit a ball. That's not golf."

"And what's golf?" Kate asked, trying hard not to look amused by his humorous egotism.

Jack laughed, enjoying their good-natured banter. "Golf is accuracy," he said in a playfully haughty tone.

Kate threw down the gauntlet. "Well, then, Tiger Woods, why don't we play a few holes and see which one of us is more accurate?"

Charlie, who had been enjoying the repartee Jack and Kate were engaging in, couldn't resist jumping in. "Oooh, fighting talk," he teased, earning glares from both of them.

Jack shook his head and looked back at Kate. "You're kidding, right?" he asked, his voice full of skepticism.

Kate just looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Three holes, no handicap, we play for bragging rights. Think you can take it?"

"Bring it on," Jack laughed, picking up the clubs that lay in the sand at her side and heading towards the golf course, delighted at the chance to spend some time with her.

-----------------------------

They reached the golf course several minutes later, Jack trailing slightly behind to enjoy the view afforded by Kate's tight jeans. _Yeah, this time I'm definitely checkin' her out_, he thought with a chuckle, recalling her playful accusations during one of their previous jungle hikes.

Jack dropped the gold bag to the ground and reached inside for a tee. He threw it to the ground, when it landed with its point towards Kate. "Guess you're first," he said, retrieving the tee and handing her a club.

Kate grinned. "Lucky me." She stuck a tee in the ground and rested her ball upon it, noting with interest the way that Jack stared as her ass as she bent over_. This could get interesting_, she though with an inward smile.

Jack couldn't resist the opportunity to rag her. "You know the ladies' tee at my golf club back home is about ten feet closer so if..."

Kate interrupted him. "Shut up, Jack." He threw up his hands in a "well-I-tried" gesture.

Just as Kate was about to swing, she felt Jack's hand on her arm. She stopped and lowered the club. "What?" she asked, unnerved by how close he was standing to her.

Jack swallowed. "You want to, uh, make this game a little more interesting?" he asked. _Christ, that sounds like something Sawyer would say_, he thought to himself.

Kate looked at him thoughtfully. "What did you have in mind?" she asked.

_Was he really going to go through with this?_ "Higher stakes," he said finally, hoping his voice didn't sound as high-pitched to her as it did to him.

Kate grinned, hoping that this was leading where she thought it might be. "And what kind of stakes are you talking about?" she asked, twirling the club in her hand.

Jack looked her directly in the eyes. "If I win, you come to my tent tonight," he said. "If you win, I'll come to yours."

Kate laughed, hoping that her nervousness wouldn't show. "Ahh…that's an interesting offer," she said, stalling for time.

"Hey, don't go reading too much into it," Jack said, his voice full of false bravado. "If I come to your tent, you can make me do whatever you want…your laundry, your dinner, whatever."

"Yeah, whatever," Kate said softly, grinning at him and knowing exactly what he meant by his proposition. "Well, what are we waiting for?" She stuck her hand out and Jack shook it firmly.

Kate got back into position and swung the club hard. It landed very close to the hole and Jack let out a low whistle. _Shit, this might be harder than I thought_, he thought to himself. _Please don't let this backfire on me_.

"Uh, nice," he said to Kate, taking the club from her and setting a new ball on the tee. He swung and his ball went flying…into the trees at the edge of the course. "Shit!" he muttered.

Kate couldn't help laughing at his performance. "Wow, you really put it in there," she said sarcastically, earning a frosty glare from Jack.

They walked over to where Kate's ball had landed. She sunk it in two putts, impressive, Jack had to admit, when you considered that the course wasn't exactly well manicured.

Then they strolled to the woods, Jack's eyes on the ground as he searched for his ball. As he crossed over a small creek, Kate saw the opportunity to rag him back.

"We have more balls, you know," she said, grinning so wide that it almost hurt. "You could always just take a drop."

Jack glared at her again. "I'm good," he said, eyes still searching the ground. Finally he spotted something white. "Got it!" he said triumphantly, bending down to move several large stones away from the ball. "Uh, you might want to move," he told Kate, taking a practice swing. She ducked out of the way and he struck the ball with an impressive _whack!,_ sending it out of the woods and onto the "green."

"Not bad," Kate complimented as they strolled towards where the ball had landed.

"Please," Jack scoffed arrogantly. "That first shot was just a fluke." He backed up his words by sinking his next putt easily, tying the score.

They tied the next round as well and were both engaging in some serious trash talk as they set up for the third and final round.

Kate looked at Jack thoughtfully as he bent down to push the tee into the ground. Smiling inwardly, she set her stance and took a practice swing. Hooking her arm at the last possible second, she sent the ball soaring into the trees where Jack's first shot had gone.

She looked at Jack and shrugged her shoulders. "Oops," she offered, handing him the club.

Jack chuckled as he lined up his shot and took his shot. The ball arched nicely, landing easily on the green. "See, Kate, accuracy," he said as they headed towards the hole. He sunk his ball in one shot and they headed off to find Kate's ball.

"We have more balls, you know," Jack teased Kate, mimicking her earlier words. She tossed a stick at him as she searched the ground for her ball. Spotting it, she lined up and sent it flying out of the trees. It didn't land in the hole.

"Well, I guess you showed me," she said to Jack as they went to retrieve the golf bag and tee they had used. She looked up at him and smiled. "So about that bet…"

Jack took a deep breath. It was hard to breath when she was so close to him. "Kate, I don't…" He was interrupted by a shout that came from the direction of the beach. Cursing under his breath, he shouted "Over here!"

Sayid emerged from the canopy of trees and jogged to where Jack and Kate were standing. "Jack, you must come quickly," he said, his breathing ragged from his quick movements. "I think Walt has broken his arm."

"Shit!" Jack swore, grabbing his backpack from where it lay on the ground. "Okay, I'm there," he said to Sayid, who took off again. He turned back to Kate. "Can we continue this later. I, uh, I have some things I want to talk to you about." She nodded and he took off behind Sayid.

-----------------------------

It was past midnight when Jack was finally able to return to his tent for some much-needed rest. Walt had indeed broken his arm and it was a violent break. Fortunately Jack had been able to set it neatly, so there was a good chance that it would heal cleanly.

Blackening his mood even further was the fact that he had never gotten the chance to catch up with Kate again. He had looked around for her constantly and checked her tent several times but she was nowhere to be found and no one could remember seeing her for the past several hours.

Jack kicked off his shoes and pulled his sweaty t-shirt over his head, basking for a moment in the cool night breeze as it swept over his naked chest. He flopped down on his bed, throwing one arm up across his eyes.

He was on the verge of falling asleep when he heard a rustling at the makeshift door of his shelter. He took his arm away from his eye, squinting into the darkness. Standing in his doorway, illuminated from the firelight still trickling in from one of the several fires that burned through the night, was Kate.

"Hey," she said softly, moving toward his bed.

"Hey," Jack replied, sitting up fully.

Kate came and sat on the edge of the bed. "I came to pay off my bet," she said, reaching for the top button on her shirt and beginning to unfasten it.

"Wait," Jack said, catching her hand and pulling it away from her shirt. "Kate, it was a silly bet. I would never…"

"Jack, I never renege on a bet," Kate said firmly, placing her hands on Jack's chest and pushing him back on the bed.

"No, Kate," he said firmly, attempting to sit up again. _God, he deserved a fucking medal for his control!_

Kate looked hurt as she moved away from him. "Well, I'm so sorry, Jack," she said huffily, standing up and moving towards the door. "You really need to work on you body language, though. I mean, I thought you were making it very clear this afternoon that you wanted me. I guess I'm just delusional. Don't worry I'll never bother you again."

Jack was off the bed in a flash, grabbing her arm before she could reach the door. "Kate, I want you so bad it hurts me. But I don't want you to feel like you have to sleep with me because you lost a bet. Sorry, but that's just not on my list of turn-ons."

Kate looked up at him and, to his amazement, began to laugh. "Jack, do you really think I'd have taken that stupid bet if it wasn't something I wanted too? Don't you think I knew you weren't talking about laundry or dinner when you proposed your terms?" She stopped laughing and smirked at him. "Why do you think I let you win?"

"Let me…" Jack sputtered, then stopped abruptly. It all made sense now, much as he hated to admit it – why the perfect accuracy that she had shown all afternoon as suddenly disappeared on that last shot. "Wait, then, why did you have to 'let me win'?" he asked, heavy emphasis on the last three words. "You could have gotten the same results by winning yourself."

Kate grinned at him. "Because I knew this was the best chance of getting exactly what I wanted," she told him. "I knew you'd pull that I'm-a-gentleman shit if I'd won and actually try to do my laundry or something. Now…" she trailed off, pushing him back towards the bed. "The way I remember it, you get to call the shots. So what do you want?"

Jack swallowed. Was this really happening? Was this beautiful woman who was the subject of every dream and fantasy he'd engaged in for the past sixty days really offering herself to him? "Well, uh, I guess I'd like to see you…really see you," he added, gulping in air.

Kate smiled and gave him another shove that caused him to fall heavily back onto the bed. He settled back, his eyes never leaving hers, as she began swaying her hips to some rhythm that only she could hear.

Kate hummed softly as she began her grind, toying with the hem of her shirt and the waistband of her jeans. She ran her hands along her chest, slowly unbuttoning her top. Once all the buttons were unfastened, she slid it slowly up and down her arms, making sure that Jack was only receiving slight glimpses of what was underneath. Smiling at his obvious arousal, she finally released the shirt, revealing taut breasts only partially hidden by the black lace of her bra.

Jack sucked in his breath, his jeans becoming painfully tight. Her sexy little striptease was making him harder than he'd ever been in his life.

Kate noticed his discomfort. "Go ahead," she said, gesturing towards the obvious bulge in his pants. Jack understood what she meant. His eyes still trained on her perfect body, he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, kicking them off and releasing himself from their confines. He lay back on the bed and took his hardened length in his hand, applying long, slow strokes as he watched her move.

Kate nearly lost her rhythm at the sight of him. He was long and thick, bigger than she'd ever imagined in her frequent daydreams about him. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her movements. She had pulled a song she remembered from high school out of the back of her mind – "Nasty Dancer" by Kilo. _I'm your nasty dancer, dancer for money, do what you want me to do_, she sang in her head as her hands snaked down towards the top button of her jeans.

Jack pulse was steadily rising as he continued to stroke himself, careful not to get overly excited. _God, she was so fucking sexy!_

Kate continued her bump and grind, sliding her jeans down her perfectly shaped legs in a slow, sultry manner. Once they were off, she toyed with the front clasp of her bra, snapping and unsnapping it until Jack was nearly cross-eyed with desire. He had to release his aching member for a moment, afraid that the slightest contact would cause him to erupt.

Kate stood before him, her beautiful brown curls flowing over her shoulders and her bright eyes shining in the firelight that still filtered through. All that remained were her silky black bikini panties.

Jack reached for her, pouting playfully, theatrically, as she moved away and shook her finger at him. He resumed his steady strokes as she ran her hands over her stomach and thighs. Then slowly…slowly…slowly she slid the panties down inch by inch until a small jumble of course brown curls was visible.

Jack sucked in his breath at the sight of a completely naked Kate standing before him. He could see the glistening moisture between her legs and knew that she was as aroused as he was. Jack reached for her again. This time, Kate made no effort to move away. He pulled her on top of him, reveling in the feel of her bare skin against his.

Kate lowered her lips to his and swore she felt an electric jolt as they met. She ran her tongue across his lips, licking, sucking, nibbling until his lips finally parted and she was able to plunge her tongue inside his warm, wet mouth. She moaned as it met his and they dueled for several moments before finally having to come up for air.

Kate sat up, straddling Jack's thighs, playfully swatting his hands away as he reached for her.

"Okay, you're still the boss," she said, grinning as his eyes lit up at her statement. "What do you want from me?"

_What don't I want?_ Jack thought as he stared up at her. "I want to taste you," he said throatily, sitting up suddenly and wrapping his arms around her, enjoying the feel of her naked breasts pressed against his bare chest.

Kate laughed. "Hey, this was supposed to be all about you," she protested. "What do you get out of it?"

Jack returned her grin. "Baby, you have no idea," he said, pushing her backwards until she lay horizontal, then rising up to kneel between her legs. Kate knew better than to object.

Jack used his fingers to spread Kate's folds and expose her dripping center to his eager mouth. He licked her until she was moaning with pleasure, then began to focus on the swollen little bundle of nerves that he knew was the key to her release. He just used his tongue at first, alternating between soft little licks and then harder, stiffer ones. As he felt her body tense up in anticipation of her coming orgasm, he sucked her clit into his mouth sending her plunging over the edge, moaning his name over and over again. His name. Just as he'd imagined it so many times before.

Kate's body was still quivering in the aftermath of her release as he moved up the bed to lay beside her. He took her into his arms and kissed her, kissed her as he'd wanted to since the first time he'd seen her. He tasted every corner, every crevice of her sweet-tasting mouth. _How is it possible that she tastes like peppermint?_ he wondered as their kiss deepened.

Finally Kate gently pulled away, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Your turn," she said slyly, nudging him onto his back slithering down his body until his swollen cock was at her mouth.

Jack nearly came off the bed at the feel of her hot, wet, velvety mouth wrapped around him. He was already aroused from her sexy striptease and from his own attentions earlier and he knew that he wouldn't last long.

Kate had never been a huge fan of giving oral sex. She didn't despise it as some women did, but it had never been something she'd particularly enjoyed.

Until now.

Kate opened her mouth as wide as she could, desperate to take as much of him as possible into her mouth. Jack groaned as the tip of his throbbing cock nudged the back of her throat, her lips just reaching the base of his shaft. After circling the base with her tongue a few times, Kate slowly slid her mouth upward, her lips sucking and her tongue swirling. She finally reached the tip, giving him a few extra-hard sucks before releasing him from her mouth with an audible _pop!_

Kate watched as Jack's eyes rolled back and finally closed, his head thrown back and his body tense. She knew he was close, very close. She took him in her hand, the saliva she'd left there a perfect lubricant from her circling hand. She lowered her mouth to him again, using her lips and tongue to focus on his tip while her hand pumped his shaft.

Jack groaned again, louder this time. "Kate, I'm going to come," he warned her, panting hard now. "Kate, I – I can't hold back – Kate, Kate…" he shouted her name a final time before his body gave an immense jerk and Kate's waiting mouth was flooded with his hot release. She drank every drop, licking him over and over again until he gave a final jerk and collapsed back onto the bed. Kate sat up and swiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, grinning at Jack before scooting up to snuggle against his still-shaking body.

Jack was slowly regaining his senses. He pulled Kate closer to him and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"Kate, that was…I mean, wow!" he said, laughing at his own fumbling attempts.

"Hey, I told you that I always pay my bets," Kate reminded him, sighing happily as she ran a hand along his broad chest.

Jack felt himself begin to harden again as Kate's soft hands continued to roam his body. _How is that even possible?_ he wondered, closing his eyes and letting the sensations overtake him.

Kate was delighted to feel Jack's length harden once again – and so soon! _Wow, talk about stamina!_ she thought happily.

Kate sat up and eased her body over Jack's positioned herself just over his cock. Placing both hands on his chest, she slowly lowered herself, taking him in inch by inch until he filled her completely.

Jack had to struggle to keep from coming the second he felt her wetness envelop him and had to close his eyes to fully concentrate. He felt like it had been years since he'd last been intimate with anyone and he knew that he'd never been with a woman who fit him this well.

Kate was still for several moments, allowing them both to simply enjoy the feel of one another. As Jack slowly opened his eyes to stare deep into hers, she began to move.

Jack placed his hands on Kate's hips to guide her movements, rubbing small circles on her delicate skin with his calloused thumbs. When the rhythm was finally right for both of them, he removed his hands from her hips, moving them slowly up her sides and making her shiver. His hands finally came to rest on her breasts, kneading them, caressing them, using his thumbs to flick her painfully hard nipples until she was moaning with the pleasure of it all.

Kate felt a fire beginning. As though he could sense her impending release, Jack quickly and easily flipped Kate over onto her back, smoothly landing directly on top of her and never once breaking their connection. Kate groaned loudly, the new position allowing Jack to enter her more deeply than before. She wrapped her legs around his waist and tried to pull him even closer as her climax neared.

Kate's eyes slammed shut and her back arched as her orgasm hit her hard and fast. She buried her face in Jack's shoulder, sobbing his name over and over as waves of pleasure coursed though her body, renewing themselves with each fresh thrust from Jack.

Jack's body tensed as he felt her tighten around him_. Christ, how can it hurt and feel so good at the same time?_ he wondered, feeling his own release nearing.

Kate was still riding the crest of her own orgasm when she felt Jack's cock twitch, then swell within her. He came with a shout seconds later, filling her with his hot seed and causing fresh orgasmic sensations to overtake her once again.

It was several minutes before Jack found the energy to pull out of Kate and move off of her body, which was still trembling in the aftermath of her release. He pulled her close, not wanting to lose contact with her for even a second.

Jack and Kate found that they couldn't keep their hands off one another that night. They slept only briefly between bouts of lovemaking, the desire for one another overcoming any exhaustion they felt.

The sun was already high in the sky when Kate stepped out of Jack's tent, her arms wrapped around her body in an attempt to ward off the chill of the morning. She stood for several minutes staring at the sparkling ocean, knowing that she'd never been quite this happy – or satisfied – before. Jack finally emerged behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing a small kiss on her shoulder. He hoped that his patient load would be light that day; he had already planned to move Kate's things into his tent.

Several yards down the beach, Hurley groaned at the scene while Charlie laughed out loud.

"Pay up, mate," he said cheerfully, slapping Hurley on the back. Hurley grumbled as he slapped three Apollo bars into Charlie's outstretched hand. Now _those_ were high stakes indeed!


	6. Trapped

WARNING!!!!  
Massive spoilers in my author's note if you have not seen Episode 3x06 "I Do." You have been warned!

**Author's Note: I know most of my fellow Jaters must be feeling kinda low right now. I'm with you, although the Skate sex scene didn't really bother me half as much as I thought it would for two reasons. 1) While I am now and will forever be a Jate fan, I am actually quite fond of Sawyer. He truly loves Kate and would give his own life to save hers without a second thought. If he was going to die (not that I thought he actually would, but still), then I'm glad he would have died happy – and I'm fairly sure that was Kate's line of thought, too. 2) Most importantly, I was still glowing from the look that Jack gave Kate when she first came into the room and Juliet pulled the bag from her head. He loves her so much! That look said everything to me – it was sweet and intense and sexy and….just everything all at once. If there's no hope for Jate after that look...well, we won't even go there. There's no need to go there because after last night I believe more strongly than ever that Jack and Kate will end up together. **

**Okay, many of you are going to think I'm crazy for holding on to my Jate loyalty after what happened last night. But keep two things in mind. 1) Kate never told Sawyer she loved him. Sex and love are quite often two very different things. I think all those spoilers that were floating around before this episode aired about Kate loving Sawyer meant love in the physical sense rather than in the actual. Kate thought he was going to die because she had no reason to believe that Jack was actually going to do the surgery (after their botched meeting, which I fully believe that Jack staged for the camera, needing them to believe that he cared nothing about Kate). 2) At the end of the episode, Kate was refusing to leave without Jack, plain and simple. If Sawyer was the one she really loved, wouldn't she be more concerned with getting him out of harm's way and then worrying about Jack – who, let's face it, has had a relatively easy time during his stay with the Others compared to what Kate and Sawyer have gone through?**

**One final thing: I will remain a Jater and will keep writing Jate until the show is officially over and I physically see Kate and Sawyer (or Kate and anyone else…or, I guess, Jack and anyone else) riding off into the sunset together. That is what it would take to convince me that Jack and Kate will never be together. Think about it. Ross and Rachel broke up in season 3 of _Friends_. For the next seven seasons, they dated, screwed, even married other people (and each other, but still) – and yet they still ended up together in the very last episode, because that was how it should be. Jack and Kate will be together – it might be a long, rocky path (because I'm not entirely convinced that Jack and Juliet won't hook up for a period), but they'll get there.**

**Okay, sorry that was so long. I just really needed to get my thoughts out there. Anyway – here is some Jate smut to cheer up those of you feeling down after last night. This is my first "what-if" that is not really based on (or a continuation of) an actual scene from the show. It was suggested by a couple of my reviewers – and y'all know I always aim to please! So this is for 1LostFan, who wanted something in the hatch, and for Gemrosa, who suggested Jack and Kate getting locked in the hatch. **

TRAPPED

**What if…several of the castaways, tired of Jack and Kate's constant fighting (and the sexual tension underlying it), decided to lock them in the hatch until they can resolve their conflict?**

Morning was always the best time on the island. Sure, it meant the start of another day in the hell that was quickly becoming their reality, but there was something refreshing about it as well.

Charlie, Claire, Desmond, and Hurley were sitting around a fire, enjoying the peace and quiet that mornings on the island usually offered. Suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of two voices, one male and one female, that carried loudly across the sand and into the ears of the other castaways.

"…always think everything has to be done your way!"

"…major problems trusting you to handle everything!"

"…astounds me…unbelievable arrogance…!"

"…better than…criminal!"

"Bastard!"

"Bitch!"

The last two words were flung with such intensity that they were heard by everyone that was awake in the early morning hours…and woke several who weren't. After a few more flung barbs, low enough that they weren't audible to those now milling around, the pair separated, one heading for the jungle and the other stomping angrily towards her tent.

"Wow," Hurley said, after a moment of silence. "They're really beginning to hate each other." Claire and Charlie both frowned at this.

Desmond let out a short bark of laughter. "Oh, you couldn't be more wrong, brother," he said, his eyes twinkling.

"What do you mean?" Hurley asked.

Desmond smirked and threw another log onto the fire before answering. "To put it simply…they want each other."

Claire raised her eyebrows at Desmond's assessment of the Jack-and-Kate situation, but Charlie and Hurley wore equally confused looks.

"Wait, did I miss the moment when "bitch" became a term of endearment?" Charlie asked skeptically.

Desmond's smirk never left his face. "Sexual tension, brother, sexual tension. They want one another so bad they can't stand it…but neither will do anything about it, so they settle for releasing tension another way."

After a moment of pondering, the other three realized that Desmond was indeed correct. "So what can we do about it?" Hurley asked. "I mean, it's not like we can lock them in a room with champagne, oysters, and green m&ms…"

"Green m&ms?" Desmond asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, dude, didn't you ever hear that green is, like, a sex color or something and green m&ms…" he broke off as the other three stared at him.

"Yeah, but I always heard it was green skittles," Claire offered.

"You two are demented," Charlie said, shaking his head. "Okay, so look, no oysters and champagne, but, well, locking them in a room…not such a bad idea."

"So long as there's no knives or guns," Hurley injected. The others laughed.

"Wait, knives and guns…" Claire began, lips pursed in concentration. "What about the armory…providing that we remove the guns, first, of course?"

"Not a bad idea," Desmond said thoughtfully and the other two nodded in affirmation.

"So how do we get them there?" Hurley asked.

"Well, Kate…" Charlie said, his brow furrowed as he thought. "If we could just get her into the hatch…well, we could just leave the door to the armory open. She's nosy – she'd go in to see who was inside and we could just lock the door behind her."

Desmond laughed at the "she's nosy" part of Charlie's plan. "Jack's going to be more difficult," he said. "I guess one of us could pretend to need some medicine, then shove him in when he opens the door to get it."

"I could do that," Claire offered, warming to the idea. "One of you would have to be there to actually shove him in since, well, since he outweighs me by about eighty pounds, but I could say I need some painkillers for cramps or something."

"Ah, yes, cramps, that mysterious illness that no one can see or feel or hear," Charlie said sarcastically, earning Claire's elbow in his ribcage.

"So, we're agreed?" Desmond asked, and the other three all nodded firmly. "Then let's get going."

-----------------------------

"Have cramps been bothering you a lot lately?" Jack asked Claire as they walked down the dimly lit hallway that led into the interior of the hatch.

Claire heard the concern in his voice and momentarily felt bad for what she was about to do. Then she shook the guilt off. _This is for his own good_, she reminded herself before answering him. "Not terrible, but I'm just starting to get back on track after having Aaron."

Jack nodded as they entered the main room. "Sometimes breastfeeding tends to intensify cramps," he told her. "It's really just your uterus contracting as it returns to normal after birth. Some Tylenol will take the edge off." He reached the door to the armory where the medicines were kept and began to spin the dial of the combination lock.

Just as Jack yanked open the door, he felt someone shove him hard from behind, causing him to stumble into the small room. Before he could regain his balance, he heard the door slam shut behind him and the unmistakable sound of the lock clicking shut.

"What the fuck?" he yelled, banging his fist hard on the metal door. "Hey! Who's out there? What the fuck is going on?"

"You can stop shouting," a voice said behind him. "They're not going to let us out."

Jack turned and groaned loudly when he saw Kate sitting on the narrow cot, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. "Oh, shit."

"Good to see you, too," Kate said dryly.

"You have any idea why we're in here?" Jack asked as he plopped down on the floor, his hands anxiously running through his cropped hair.

Kate shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe they got tired of your bossy arrogance and decided to mutiny."

The look that Jack shot her was enough to kill. "More likely they got tired of having to constantly rescue you from the stupid shit you always seem to get yourself into and decided to lock you up so you couldn't put any more lives in danger." He stopped and smirked at her. "Then again, this – being locked up, that is, - must be a familiar scene to you. You'll have to tell me how to act in this situation, seeing as how you're the expert and all."

"Go to hell," Kate spat out, her eyes flashing.

"Already there, babe," Jack retorted.

"I hate you," Kate fumed, turning to face the wall.

"Well, I'm not too fond of you right now, either," Jack replied, staring down at the floor.

Outside the door, their ears pressed hard against the metal in hopes of hearing what was going on inside, Hurley and Charlie looked at each other and sighed. This was going to be a long night.

-----------------------------

Kate woke up feeling groggy and disoriented. _Where am I?_ she wondered briefly. Then she saw Jack sitting on the floor, a half-eaten mango in his hand and a bottle of water on the floor next to him. She sat up, stretching her arms above her head in an attempt to stretch the kinks out.

Jack had to look away at the sight of her breasts straining against the thin fabric of her t-shirt. He felt himself growing hard, as he so often did when he saw her, and shifted himself in an attempt to hide his reaction from Kate.

Kate yawned once more. "So, any word from outside?" she asked Jack.

Jack shook his head. "Not a sound," he told her, still not quite able to meet her eyes. "But they left that in here," he added, gesturing towards the bag that lay beside the bed. Kate reached down and opened it. Inside were mangos, bananas, some Dharma crackers, and several bottle of water. She took a bottle of water and sipped from it, watching as Jack took another bite of mango. _God, how can he look so sexy doing something as simple as eating?_ she thought, turning her face away from Jack to hide the blush that she felt creeping up over her cheeks.

"So, what's your big plan for getting us out of here?" Kate asked after several moments of silence.

Jack just looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, the brilliant doctor always has a plan," Kate taunted him scathingly.

Jack just shook his head. "Kate, these walls are solid metal," he told her, his voice condescending. "The only way we're getting out of here is if they unlock that door."

"Well, that's just great," Kate muttered under her breath.

"Hey, you think I like this?" Jack told her, his voice loud and harsh in the small room.

"Well, next time I guess I'll have to make sure that you're locked up with Juliet or Ana Lucia," Kate yelled back. "I'm sure you'd like it then."

"Just like you'd like it better if it were Sawyer in here with you," Jack shot back. He turned his glare towards the door. "God, when they let us out of here, I swear, I'll – "

"You'll do what, Jack?" Kate interrupted. "Just what will you do?" she laughed sarcastically. "You know what your problem is, Jack?"

"No, please tell me, Kate," Jack snorted derisively.

"Your problem," Kate continued, her eyes shooting darts, " is that you're all talk. You talk and talk and talk and act like you've got it all under control, but when it comes time for action, you can't follow through. Just like…." she trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"Just like what, Kate?" Jack asked quietly.

"Just like with us!" Kate exploded. "Just like how you've flirted with me since the first day we met, like how you've flirted and stared and joked, but when it started to go somewhere, you wouldn't follow through." She stopped, her breath heaving.

"Like you've been any better?" Jack returned, his temper flaring. "You know, you've been there, too, Kate. I haven't seen you making any moves in that direction, either."

"You're the guy, you stupid jerk!" Kate yelled back.

"Since when did you get so goddamn provincial, Kate?" Jack asked nastily. "You think that just because – oh, fuck it!" He crossed the small room in two steps and jerked Kate up off of the cot, his hands firmly grasping her shoulders. "You think I can't follow through with anything? Watch this!" And with that, he crushed his lips against hers, pouring two months of wanting, of longing, of unfilled desire into a kiss more passionate than any either of them had ever experienced.

Kate had been afraid for a split second as he'd started towards her, afraid that he'd raise his fist to her. _Don't be stupid_, she thought to herself in the instant before he reached her. _Jack's a lot of things but a hitter isn't one of them._

It took Kate a moment to respond when she felt, instead of the angry shake that she was expecting, a pair of hot, wet lips pressed hard against her own. _This is Jack_, she thought, her mind whirring. _Jack is kissing me. And Jack's a damn good kisser_.

Kate opened her mouth under his and pulled his tongue into her mouth, needing, wanting to taste him more fully. She flung her arms around him, pulling him closer to her, and he let go of her shoulders and entangled his fingers in her hair as their lips, tongues, and teeth clashed in a fiery battle.

Kate moaned loudly as Jack tore his mouth away from hers to let his lips travel along her jaw line towards the sensitive skin of her neck. The sound excited him, urged him on, and he was rewarded with a small scream erupting from her lips as he latched onto her collarbone.

Jack managed to pull his mouth off her skin long enough to rip the flimsy t-shirt from her body. He unceremoniously unsnapped her bra, tossing it impatiently to the floor as the breasts that had taunted him for months were at once displayed before him. Jack groaned at the sight. His mind was a blur and he didn't know much at the moment, but he knew that he would die if he couldn't touch her that very instant.

He took her breasts in his hands, marveling at how perfectly they fit into his palms. God, how he wanted to taste her! "Beautiful," he muttered, his breath hot against her skin as he trailed kisses down her chest towards the gorgeous mounds that were cupped in his hands. "You're so beautiful." Kate's whimpers grew louder as his mouth latched onto one of her breasts, his tongue circling and teasing her nipple before sucking it into his mouth.

"Jack," Kate moaned, her eyes shut and her head thrown back. "Oh, god, Jack!"

"What do you want, baby?" Jack asked, his mouth still at work on her breasts. "Tell me what you want."

"I want you, Jack Shephard," she gasped, her hands gliding across the smooth skin of his broad, sweaty back and shoulders. "I want you inside of me."

Jack straightened and took her mouth with his once again. Kate's hands fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, groaning audibly when they kept eluding her fingers. Frustrated and needing to feel his hot skin against hers, she gave a strong tug and ripped the shirt from his body in one fell swoop. She had his jeans unbuttoned and unzipped within seconds and was delighted, when she shoved them down his legs, to find that he was wearing nothing underneath. She took his hardened length in her hands, marveling at its size, and Jack gave a short gasp as he groped at the catch of her pants. He finally managed to push them down. His fingers were shaking as he plunged them underneath her silky panties.

"God, Kate, you're so wet," he managed, shoving the panties down in one smooth motion.

"You make me so wet," Kate moaned, her hands still stroking him gently, her touch making him go nearly cross-eyed with desire.

Jack could stand no more. He had to have her, here and now. He lifted her and her legs naturally came to rest around his waist. It only took two steps for Jack to maneuver them towards the far wall. He slammed her up against the cold metal and her legs tightened around him.

And then he was in her.

Jack was sure that nothing else in the entire world had ever or would ever feel as good as he did at that instant. Kate was hot and wet and more than ready for him. She was tight – not too tight, but tight enough that he could feel every inch of her as he pounded into her. "Kate, oh, god, Kate" he managed breathlessly before pressing his lips to hers again.

Kate felt a fire beginning in the deepest recesses of her body. "Please, Jack, harder, faster," she moaned against his searching mouth as her orgasm moved closer and closer to the surface. He complied.

Kate screamed as the waves of pleasure overtook her body. She was glad that Jack was holding her, for she was sure that her legs would never support her on her own.

Jack watched her face as she came, the pleasure evident in her clinched expression. _Just as I've always imagined it would be_, he thought, continuing to thrust into her, short, quick thrusts that caused her to tighten around him once again in yet another small series of shudders.

Kate lost track of how many orgasms she'd experienced. Every thrust from Jack seemed to set her off again, until she was sure that she would pass out from the sensations.

She suddenly felt Jack's body tense up. He began to thrust harder and faster, finally coming with a loud shout, flooding her with his hot release. After the spurts finally stopped, he buried his face in her shoulder, his breath coming in short gasps. She pulled him closer to her and sighed contentedly.

It was several minutes before Jack's breathing was back under his control. He finally pulled away from Kate's shoulder, placing a small kiss on her lips as he began to pull out of her.

"No!" Kate demanded, pressing her body firmly against his. "Please don't leave me," she begged.

Jack chuckled, but did as she'd ordered, walking them both over to the narrow cot still embedded deep within her. He maneuvered them down onto the surface, his body resting comfortably on top of hers, taking care not to squash her. He stared down at her, running one finger gently along her cheekbone. "Hi," he said softly, unable to contain his grin.

"Hi," she replied, reaching up to caress his face. "So, uh, wow, that was…I mean, you were…I mean…I don't know what I mean."

Jack laughed, a sound that was magical to Kate's ears – especially considering that she hadn't been hearing it much lately. "Yeah, me too," he replied, using the back of his hand to brush a stray strand of hair from her forehead. "Kate, you're so incredibly beautiful. I…" he cut of as his breath caught in his throat, emotions overtaking him. He knew that further speech was impossible, so he simply lowered his lips to hers and hoped that she knew what he was trying to say.

Kate returned the kiss eagerly and was surprised and thrilled to feel him harden once again. He shifted slightly and began moving within her, long, slow strokes that she instinctively knew would last for hours, making her come over and over again before allowing himself to let go. She closed her eyes and prepared for the fall.

-----------------------------

Several hundred yards away from the hatch, Charlie and Hurley, who had left the hatch when the unmistakable sounds of sex began filtering through the metal door, ran into Claire and Desmond, who were coming to check on the progress.

"Well?" Claire demanded, shifting Aaron on her hip.

Charlie and Hurley grinned at one another. "Success," Charlie announced proudly.

"Thank God," said Desmond and Claire at once.

-----------------------------

**Okay, I know this wasn't my best ever, but I hope it was at least enough to get you through the day. Oh, and for those of you who have asked – no, I haven't abandoned _Somewhere off the Coast of Nowhere_. I have actually already written the epilogue to it, so I know how it's going to end – I just haven't figured out how to get there yet. Soon, soon, I promise.**

**Please review – they make me happy – I'm a review junkie!**


	7. The Walk

**For ilovezacandvanessa, who suggested showing what _really_ happened when Jack offered to walk Kate back to the beach in Episode 2x17.**

**I don't own Lost, or any dialogue that I've taken directly from an episode transcript, or the characters, or the actors – but wouldn't it be sweet if I did?!**

**THE WALK**

**What if…Jack and Kate had made a slight detour when walking back to the beach the night that they discovered the pallet of Dharma food?**

Darkness had fallen over the island and Kate found herself, as she so often did in the evenings, sitting high up on a little sand dune, watching the movements of the people milling around below her. She knew that she would be welcome at Charlie and Claire's fire, or at Rose and Bernard's, or at anyone's, really. But she liked it up here, alone. It made it easier to see him, to follow his movements, to be able to stare at him all she liked without being caught at it.

Jack had started speaking to her again, but only just. Things were still awkward between them, the easiness of the friendship they had shared since day one a thing of the past now. So much had happened in the past few weeks – Jack's jealousy at her devoting herself to taking care of Sawyer as he healed, her actions after the passionate kiss they had shared in the jungle, the ugly incident with the Others, and Jack's growing friendship with Ana-Lucia.

Their conversations were stilted now, stiff and formal. If they happened to run into one another, Jack would politely inquire after her health, her well-being, and she would respond just as stiffly.

It was making her miserable.

She knew now that she loved him, that she had loved him since the first time she'd seen him kneeling in that secluded patch of sand asking her for her help. She'd fallen in love with him over and over again during their first days and weeks together – every time he made her laugh, every time she saw the goodness and braveness in him as he helped yet another injured survivor.

She'd wanted to tell him so many times. But fear always held her back – just as it had forced her to run after their kiss instead of staying and telling him she loved him.

Kate looked up in time to see Jack disappear into the jungle, heading down the path that led to the hatch. She felt her breath catch – was he alone? Ana-Lucia often accompanied him these days – no, she was down by Libby and Hurley's fire, laughing at something Hurley was saying. Kate stood quickly, brushing sand off of her pants as she stared after him.

_One – two – three – four – five_, she counted silently before following him into the jungle.

-----------------------------

Jack moved slowly along the jungle path, grateful for the time alone…glad to have escaped the chatter on the beach and not ready to return to the drama in the hatch quite yet.

Because he knew the path so well now, it was easy to let his mind drift off as he ambled along. As usual, it drifted to the same place it always did. To her. Kate.

God, how he loved her! He supposed he had fallen in love with her the moment he'd seen her – or maybe even before – was that even possible? Right now he couldn't imagine that there was ever a time that he hadn't been in love with her, couldn't imagine that he'd ever thought himself in love with anyone else, not even his ex-wife.

But, why, why was it all so difficult? He'd wanted to tell her so many times but things always seemed to get in the way. That day they'd kissed in the jungle – he was on the verge of pouring his heart out to her when she'd turned and ran. And that night with the Others – God, he'd be so afraid! He knew she thought he was angry with her – and, okay, he was, just a little – but it was mainly that the thought of her with a gun pointed at her head still shook him up so much that just the image caused him to break into a cold sweat.

And then, of course, she'd been spending almost all of her free time with Sawyer lately. _Stupid redneck hick_, Jack thought indignantly, but then shook his head at his own childishness. Kate had a right to be friends with whomever she wanted. Even if her taste did leave something to be desired.

Jack knew that Kate thought there was something going on between him and Ana-Lucia. He supposed most of the survivors did. He'd seen the questioning looks and the way some of his friends would glance from him to Kate to Ana-Lucia inquiringly, but he never satisfied their curiosity.

He liked Ana-Lucia well enough, he supposed. She was smart and interesting and she did know a lot about self-defense. He knew she was attracted to him and had thought several times about giving in to her subtle suggestions. But every time the moment approached, he found himself focusing on her one major flaw.

She wasn't Kate.

Ana-Lucia was funny, sure, but she couldn't make him laugh like Kate did. She was smart, but she didn't have that creative streak that Kate had. He liked talking to her, but couldn't imagine spilling his guts to her and letting her in on the secrets of his past as he did with Kate. And she was pretty, of course, but nothing compared to Kate.

And then there was…Jack's train of thought cut off suddenly as he heard the rustle of leaves behind him. He spun around quickly, his flaming torch illuminating the area in front of him. He squinted for a moment, then saw the light of another torch moving in his direction. His heart quickened when he heard her voice.

_Keep it casual_, Kate warned herself before speaking out loud. "Hey, hey, Jack. Wait up. You heading up to the hatch?" she asked when she'd caught up to him.

Jack swallowed once before answering her. "Yeah," he replied, praying that his voice didn't crack.

"Mind if I join you?" Kate asked him. "It's been a while since I had a shower and I was just hoping that..."

Jack swallowed hard again as the image of Kate wet and naked in the shower popped into his mind. He was grateful for the darkness that hid the redness that he felt creeping into his cheeks. Then he remembered the situation in the hatch and answered with what he hoped was a convincing story. "Oh, uh, actually, the plumbing's busted."

Kate gave him a quizzical look. "Busted?"

Jack sighed. Goddamn, he hated lying to her! "Yeah, water's been running muddy. I guess we've got a cracked pipe but it's going to take some time to find it."

Kate knew Jack well enough to know that he wasn't telling her the truth. Did he really just not want her to come with him? She smiled broadly and answered in a voice full of false bravado. "Oh, well, I guess I wasted a trip, then."

Jack heard the tone in her voice and knew she hadn't believed his story. He had to keep it up, though. "Well, I'll let you know as soon as we get things worked out down there."

_Whatever you do, keep smiling_, Kate told herself. "Right," she answered. "Well, sorry I bothered you. Goodnight, Jack." She turned to leave.

"Goodnight, Kate." Was that disappointment she heard in his voice?

_What are you doing?_ Her mind raced. _You can't just leave it like this! Do something, say something!_

"Jack?" He turned back towards the sound of her voice.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you beat Sawyer," Kate told him, referring to the poker game earlier that day.

Jack felt his pulse quicken once again at her words. She was glad he beat Sawyer? He'd have thought that, if anything, she'd be on Sawyer's side.

She was leaving now. Jack's brain was in overload at the moment, but he knew one thing for sure – that he wasn't ready for this – the first decent conversation they'd had in weeks – to end. He called out to her retreating back.

"Hey, Kate?" She stopped, turned back to look at him. He took a deep breath and continued. "You know, the, uh, the hatch can wait until morning - if you'd like me to walk you back to the beach."

Kate smiled, the first real smile he'd seen on her face in weeks. She nodded her head. "I'd, uh, I'd like that," she told him, and they started back down the path together.

They walked in silence for a while. Kate tripped once, but Jack's strong hands caught her before she hit the ground. He allowed his hand to linger in hers for just a moment before letting go, but the action had left Kate breathless and tingling.

Then they began chatting about nothing in particular – Eko's church, Locke's obsession with the hatch, Claire and Charlie's budding relationship, how the tail section survivors were faring around camp. Soon, they were close enough to the beach to smell the wood smoke from the burning fires.

Kate felt an overwhelming wave of disappointment crash over her. God, she didn't want this to end!

Jack was also feeling disappointed. _Com'on, now on never, Shephard_, he told himself. _One – two – three – four – five_. He took a deep breath, then grabbed her arm and pulled her off the path into a small, deserted clearing, so secluded that he knew most of the survivors had never even realized that it was there.

"Jack, what are you…" Kate was cut off as Jack tossed his backpack to the ground and pulled her into his arms. Before she could say another word, he had crushed his lips against hers in a kiss so passionate that Kate felt her knees weakening underneath her. Grateful for the support of his arms encircling her back, she returned the kiss with equal fervor.

After what seemed like hours, Jack finally had to pull away from her breathlessly. Resting his forehead against hers, he searched her face for some kind of response.

Kate's heart was hammering in her chest so loudly that she was sure Jack could hear it. She stared into his dark eyes, not wanting to break the silence that surrounded them.

Minutes passed, then they both spoke at once.

"Jack, I…"

"Kate, I…"

They both broke off and chuckled, arms still around one another. Jack leaned back a little so he could see Kate's face easier in the moonlight that filtered through the ring of trees surrounding them.

"You first," said Kate, still giggling.

"Fine," Jack said as he took a deep breath. "Kate, I…I love you. I've loved you since the moment I saw you. I've dreamed of holding you, of kissing you, of making love to you…I want you to be mine, Kate, mine and no one else's. I…I need you, Kate." He paused for breath and watched her anxiously as she bit her bottom lip nervously. He tried to read her expression, but it was heavily guarded. He ran a hand though his cropped hair and continued. "Kate, I know I'm not dangerous and exciting like Sawyer is. I know compared to him, I'm probably pretty boring. But if you'll just give me a chance, I promise you that I'll love you every bit as much as…" He cut off as Kate reached up and pulled his face down to meet hers, their lips brought together in a sweet, gentle kiss that spoke of what was happening between them.

Breaking away, Kate finally managed to speak. "Jack, I like Sawyer very much. He's been a very good friend to me and he's a good guy…he just doesn't show it most of the time. But I don't love Sawyer, Jack. I can't…I already gave my heart away." She paused for breath. "I gave my heart away the day we crashed here. The moment I saw you in that clearing, I knew…knew that it was you. It's always been you, Jack, only you. I love you, too."

Jack felt as though his heart would burst and knew that nothing, nothing, would ever compare to this day. He pulled Kate back into her arms and kissed her again, kissed her as he'd wanted to so many times before, knowing that from this moment forward she would be his to kiss as often as he liked.

Kate's lips parted underneath his to allow him access to the inner recesses of her soft, sweet mouth. He used his tongue to explore every inch of it and was rewarded with a moan that came from deep within her throat. He ran his hands up and down every part of her body that he could reach, still hardly daring to believe that this was really happening.

Kate's body came alive underneath his skillful touch. She felt her skin growing hot and pressed her body closer against his, desperate for contact. She reached behind him and maneuvered her hands underneath his shirt, delighted to find that his skin was just as hot as her own. With her lips still attached to his, she began tugging at the material, wanting nothing more than to feel his skin against hers.

Jack finally dragged his mouth away from hers to help her. His own shirt finally yanked off and tossed unceremoniously onto the ground, he began to fumble with her flimsy tank top, then with the clasp of her bra. Discarding them both, he pulled her close to him, the feel of her breasts pressed so firmly against his chest causing him to tighten painfully within the confines of his blue jeans.

After another minute of feverish kissing, Jack pulled away from Kate, knowing that his willpower and sanity wouldn't last long. "Are you sure you want to do this now, Kate?" he asked, his breath coming in short gasps. "We can wait until later, you know. Wait until we have a bed and a nice fire and a…" He broke off as Kate reached down with lightening speed and unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. Within seconds she had his hardened member in her hand. Jack went cross-eyed with pleasure. "Jesus Christ, Kate," he moaned as she began stroking him lightly.

Kate giggled but kept up her hand movement. She brought her face close to his and whispered began to whisper softly, seductively, near his ear. "Now, not later, Shephard. I've wanted you for too long. Do it now, Jack. I want you to fuck me now like you've fucked me so many times in my dreams…"

Jack needed no further encouragement. He quickly shoved her pants and panties down and she kicked them off as he maneuvered her backward towards the nearest tree. When she was firmly planted against it, he grabbed her thighs and settled them on his hips, her legs going naturally around his waist. And then he was inside of her.

Jack thrust upwards with wild abandon, marveling at how good it felt to finally be inside of her after all this time. She was hot and wet and tight… "Oh, fuck, Katie," he moaned as he continued to pump into her.

Kate's moans matched his own as his movements pushed her closer and closer to the edge. He was so big and filled her so well…. "Harder, faster, Jack, please!" she managed breathlessly. He complied.

Kate felt her body began to tighten and knew she was close. She groaned loudly as she pulled her legs even tighter around him. "So good, Jack, it feels so good…I need to…I want to…Oh, God, Jack!" She gasped loudly as the orgasm washed over her, threatening to take over every single one of her senses.

Jack slowed his movements to let her enjoy the moment. He bit his lower lip as he felt her clamp hard around him, the mixture of pain and pleasure incredibly arousing.

After what seemed like hours, Kate finally began to come down from her high. Still breathing heavily, she brought her lips down to Jack's, suddenly aware that he was still as hard as a rock and still buried deep inside of her.

"It's your turn, Jack," she whispered softly against his lips as he resumed his powerful thrusting. "I want you to come now. Come inside of me, Jack, I want to feel you come…"

Her words, increasing naughty, were turning Jack on more than he'd ever been in his life. She continued to whisper encouragement in his ear until he felt his cock begin to swell within her.

"God, Katie, I can't hold off much longer. Please come again…please come one more time for me…with me…unnnnhhhh!" Jack finished with a deep groan, shooting ribbons of hot seed deep inside of her. The sensation of being filled so completely sent Kate flying over the edge again and she let out a primal scream as her body pulsed rapidly underneath his.

His arms still wrapped tightly around her, Jack dropped his forehead to Kate's shoulder, his breathing still heavy and gasping. Kate kissed his temple softly, gently, before tilting her head back to rest against the tree that she was currently pinned against.

Jack finally managed to get his breathing under control. With Kate still wrapped deliciously around his naked body, he turned and lowered himself to a sitting position, his back against the tree and Kate curled up like a small child in his lap. She rested her head against his shoulder and he smiled as he leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips.

They sat in silence for several minutes, each simply basking in the afterglow of their encounter. Finally, Jack broke the silence.

"Kate, that was the most amazing…I've wanted that for so long now," he said quietly. "There have been so many times that I've just wanted to grab you and…well, and do what we just did."

Kate giggled softly and snuggled closer to Jack. "I've wanted it, too, Jack," she said, pausing to kiss him. "But I thought that after the day I kissed you in the jungle…"

Jack silenced her with another kiss. "Forget it, Kate," he said quietly but firmly. "It's over, done. I love you and nothing will ever make me stop loving you. You're mine now, Kate. I swear I'll always take care of you. I'll always protect you, always be here for you. Whatever happens…it's us now. You and me, Kate."

Tears swam in Kate's eyes as she heard the love in his voice. She didn't trust herself to speak, so she simply raised her face to his and hoped that her kiss said everything that she so desperately wanted to tell him.

Jack smiled down at her when they finally broke apart. He lowered his lips to kiss away the tears that were flowing freely down her cheeks, one arm still wrapped around her while he used his other hand to lightly stroke her face. He was about to speak when he heard voices coming from the path not far away.

Jack and Kate jumped up quickly and retrieved their scattered clothes. Throwing them on as quickly as possible, they ran back to the path. They were about to turn in the direction of the beach when Kate noticed a flashing light a short distance away.

She grabbed Jack's hand and pointed in the direction of the light. "Do you see that?"

Jack squinted into the darkness for a moment before answering. "Yeah, I do."

They began walking towards the light, finally coming across a large pallet covered by a great deal of parachute-like material. Rummaging around underneath it, Kate fished out a box of macaroni and cheese.

"It's food," she said, confusion in her voice.

Jack had opened his mouth to answer her when he heard a rustling sound in the bushes nearby. Grabbing Kate and pulling her close to him, they both turned in the direction of the noise. After a few seconds, Charlie, Sayid, and Ana-Lucia emerged from the dense foliage.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Charlie asked, laughter in his voice…since he was looking at Jack and Kate with arms wrapped around one another in what was obviously the pose of two who were…ahh…_intimate_ and not at the pallet of food that had fallen from the sky.


End file.
